LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



Slielf.^ 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



THE . 

SEVEN DEGREES 



OF 



HEAVENLY REWARDS 

AS REVEALED BY OUR REDEEMER TO HIS 
BELOVED DISCIPLE JOHN 



— ALSO — 

THE GATHERING OF HIS JEWELS' 
BY THE LORD OF HOSTS 

AS COLLATED FROM OTHER SCRIPTURES 



/ 



— 



BY A. H. VAN DOREN 
CAMDEN, N. J. 



SAMUEL B. GARRM1OT*5a» Qffr 
Publisher and Bookt^Kp^i rj 1 QQg 



PHILADELPHIA, 



;«/> 






N5 



Copyright, 1893, by 
tl. Van — D u ken . 

The LihRARY 

OF CONr^r.SS 



WASHING ION 



GEO. S. FERGUSON CO., 
ELECTROTYPERS &. PRINTERS. 



DEDICATION. 



rpO all those who are desirous so to live 
and labor, that when they shall see the 
King in His Beauty, He shall say unto 
them, "Well done: Thy pound hath 
gained ten pounds," are these pages dedi- 
cated, in the hope that in working for 
Him, in winning souls to Jesus, they may 
succeed in bringing others to receive the 
same commendation. 

And though we may not be able to 
comprehend the height and depth of all 
God's glorious promises of rewards, yet 
we may rest assured their fulfillment will 
be beyond our most sanguine anticipations. 
A. H. Van Dorex, 

Camden, N. J. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

An Appeal . 7 

The scene of the Revelation 9 

Wanted : More Faith 10 

Which will you Choose ? 14 

The Proofs . 15 

Do you know any poor Builders? 18 

Saved so as by Fire 20 

Christ's Teaching 23 

What the Revelation teaches 24 

Let every one Hear 25 

The First Degree 26 

The Second Degree 29 

The Third Degree 31 

God present everywhere 34 

The Fourth Degree 37 

Christ's Reign 40 

Angels, God's active workers 43 

The Fifth Degree 46 

Several Crowns 49 

The Sixth Degree 50 

An earnest Plea 53 

An open Door 53 

The Seventh Degree 55 

Who are the Laodiceans ? 55 

(5) 



6 CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Are you a Worker ? 58 

Perhaps only thoughtless 59 

Perhaps you are a grumbler 60 

The Highest Degree 62 

Most glorious promise 63 

No room for doubt 64 

Another Plea 69 

The Idler not innocent 73 

A Solemn Thought 74 

You have Decided 76 

An Illustration 77 

Shall I show you the Road ? 79 

Sanctirication 81 

Simple Faith 84 

A Nobleman Preacher 91 

Take the Bible as your Guide 97 

Study the Guide Book 99 

Love, the whole Law 102 

What will the Harvest be? 106 

Put on the Armor 106 

Hurrah for Victory 108 

A Warning 114 

Beware of Intemperance 115 

Another dangerous Rock 115 

A third dangerous Reef 116 

As He loved us 118 

An Especial Blessing 121 

Which may happen at any moment 132 

Its practical Benefits 136 

Watchfulness 137 

Entire Sanctification 141 

Hope of a rich Reward 144 

Get the Holy Ghost as Guide 146 



THE 

DEGREES OF HEAVENLY REWARD 

AN APPEAL. 

Beloved Friend : Allow me a few 
minutes confidential talk with you, on a 
subject that regards your happiness more 
than any other matter to which you can 
fix your attention. Let me first state the 
ground on which I base the above as- 
sertion. 

The Foundation. 

The Lord Jesus Christ, when He came 
from heaven to earth, to reveal to us the 
personification of the Godhead, after having 
proved (by curing all manner of diseases, 
casting out devils, and by restoring even 
the dead to life) His power and willing- 
ness to relieve all distress, and to re- 
store mankind to their pristine purity 
and blessedness, laid down His life 

(7) 



8 HE A VENL Y REWARDS. 

on the cross. He rose from the dead, 
and manifested His power over death 
and the grave by His appearance to His 
disciples, and conversation with them. He 
ascended into the heavens to resume His 
throne on the right hand of the Majesty on 
high. He sent His Holy Spirit (the Com- 
forter) to be present with His Apostles, to 
give them wisdom and words to proclaim 
pardon for all transgressions, to every one 
that shall believe and confess His name, 
to give power over all diseases, to restore 
the dead to life, and thus manifest that 
Jesus not only had the power, but that He 
could transfer this power to whomsoever 
He wished. This gospel was thus preached, 
and many of the believers, yielding up 
their lives in testimony of their trust and 
confidence in the good news they were pro- 
claiming, and spreading out over the then 
known world, till the last one of the 
chosen disciples, the beloved John, was 



SCENE OF THE REVELATION. 9 

spending the closing years of his life, a 
solitary exile, on the island of Patmos. 
The Scene of the Revelation. 

We can easily imagine the loving Sav- 
iour as He regards His beloved John 
(who leaned on His breast at the last Sup- 
per), in lonely prayer and meditation, de- 
termining to visit him, to cheer up his 
life with a confidential interview, and to 
show him the progress the gospel is to 
make in revolutionizing the world, the 
opposition it is to meet from the evil forces 
of the world, and the ultimate triumph, 
and victory of Christ and His church. 
Thus to strengthen his faith, that he 
might endure till he was called home. 
While at the same time He would send 
through the beloved John the same cheer- 
ing news of the ultimate triumph of 
God's church over all the world, and 
the final glorious rewards to all who 



10 HE A VENL Y RE WARDS. 

would enlist and fight under the banner 
of His cross. 

The Revealing*. 
It is this revelation, this disclosure of 
what is to happen in the future, to which 
I would call your attention, in these few 
pages. And since this disclosure of the fu- 
ture contains, in its opening chapters, the 
rewards that Jesus offers to His followers, 
even before He enters into the details of 
the troubles that are in the future to await 
them from the tremendous opposition the 
evil forces will array against the truth, 
He sends these several messages to the 
several churches, attaching to each one a 
special promise, a certain reward, which 
He has pledged to give those who enlist 
under His banner, according to their de- 
gree of faithfulness. 

Wanted, more Faith. 

But before we begin let me premise one 



HE THA T A WARDS THE PRIZES. 1 1 

qualification which is essential for you to 
possess. It is simple faith, belief, in the 
ability of Him who makes these pledges. 
For it is simply beyond our conception 
that the King of the universe should prom- 
ise such grand, such glorious rewards to 
sinful worms of the dust. " For eye hath 
not seen, ear hath not heard, nor have en- 
tered into the heart of man, the things 
which God hath prepared for them that 
love Him." 1 Cor. 2 : 9. Then, before we 
enter into the consideration of these prom- 
ises, let us meditate on the Being who 
makes these promises, who gives these 
pledges ; not forgetting that, as w T e are only 
acquainted with material objects, we can 
only get an idea of spiritual things by com- 
parison with earthly and material things. 
Who is He tliat Awards the Prizes ? 
Let us use the very words with which 
He describes Himself to the beloved John, 
through whom He sends the messages to 



12 HE A VENL Y REWARDS. 

the churches, and to us as individuals ; for 
He concludes each message, each promise 
with the pleading, the commanding words : 
" He that hath an ear, let him hear what 
the Spirit saith unto the churches." Rev. 
2 : 7, 12, 17, 29. The very same phrase 
that He used during His ministry while 
on earth. 

" These things saith He that holdeth the 
seven stars in His right hand (the seven 
stars are the angels of the seven churches), 
and who walketh in the midst of the seven 
golden candlesticks." Rev. 2:1. (That is, 
walking in the midst, or among the mem- 
bers of the seven churches.) No wonder 
He is able in His omniscience to say, " I 
know thy works;" and again, " These 
things saith the first and the last, which 
was dead and is alive." Rev. 2 : 8. And 
again, " These things saith He that hath 
the sharp sword with two edges." Rev. 
2:12. And again, " These things saith 



HE THAT A WARDS THE PRIZES. 13 

the Son of God who hath His eyes like a 
flame of fire, and His feet like unto fine 
brass " (brilliant brass, glowing with the 
heat of a furnace). Rev. 2:18. And 
again, " These things saith He that hath 
the seven Spirits of God, and the seven 
stars." Rev. 3:1. And again, "These 
things saith He that is holy, He that is 
true, He that hath the key of David, He 
that openeth and no man shutteth, and 
shutteth and no man openeth." Rev. 3 : 7. 
And once more as a prelude to the last 
time He commands, "He that hath an ear 
let him hear what the Spirit saith unto 
the churches." In conclusion of the 
whole matter, and to settle with unmistak- 
able authority the right to speak and to 
promise, "These things saith the Amen ? 
the faithful and true witness, the begin- 
ning of the creation of God." Rev. 3 : 14. 
And as He introduces Himself to John, 
" I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning 



14 HE A VENL Y EE WA EDS. 

and the ending, I am He that liveth, and 
was dead, and behold I am alive for ever 
more, Amen, and have the keys of hell 
and of death." Rev. 1:18. Speaking 
thus of His own attributes of power and 
of being, can we doubt for one instant 
His ability to say " I know thy works/' 
and that He is able to commend or con- 
demn, as the works evince a faithful, ear- 
nest working spirit, or a thoughtless, sinful 
disposition. 

Which Will You Choose? 
Thus much for an introduction. Now 
let us consider the subject to which I 
invited your attention when I asked you, 
Which would you choose — one of the 
higher rewards of Heaven, or have you 
so little ambition (I use the word in its 
most exalted sense), so little ambition as 
to be satisfied with one of the least places ? 
There are those who sit at the feast, while 
others stand and serve ; not that the last 



PROOFS. 15 

is dishonorable or mean, but that it is not 
so honorable as some others. 

Do you ask, Are you sure there are 
degrees of reward in Heaven ? We know 
there are degrees of reward (or success) in 
this world, but are there degrees of reward 
in Heaven? I always thought that to 
attain Heaven was our highest aim, and to 
be accepted of the Lord and to be ad- 
mitted into His presence, and enjoy eternal 
happiness was about all to which we could 

aspire. 

Proofs. 

In reply let me ask, Is it not explicitly 
stated in 1 Cor. 15 :4: "As one star 
differeth from another star in glory, so 
shall it be in the resurrection." And 
again in Dan. 12:3: " They that be wise 
shall shine as the brightness of the firma- 
ment, and they that turn many to right- 
eousness as the stars forever and ever." 
See also Matt. 5:19: "Whosoever shall 



16 HEAVENLY REWARDS. 

break one of these least commandments 
and shall teach men so, he shall be called 
least in the kingdom of heaven, but who- 
soever shall do and teach them shall be 
called great in the kingdom of heaven." 
Then turn to 1 Cor. 3:10-15: " Accord- 
ing to the grace of God, which is given 
to me as a wise master builder, I have 
laid a foundation, and another buildeth 
thereon. But let every man take heed 
how he buildeth thereupon, for other 
foundation can no man lay, than is laid, 
which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man 
build on this foundation gold, silver, 
precious stones (gems), wood, hay, stubble : 
Everv man's work shall be made manifest, 
for the day shall declare it, because it 
shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall 
try every man's work of what sort it is. 
If any man's work abide which lie hath 
built thereupon he shall receive a reward. 
If any man's work be burned, he shall 



PROOFS. 17 

suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved, 
yet so as by fire." Here we have Paul 
speaking of character building, using as 
an illustration the different materials of 
which a house is built, taking the range 
from the most precious and enduring 
(gold) to the most worthless and most 
perishable (stubble). He could not have 
chosen a wider range. All these different 
materials represent the different varieties 
of characters men are building. Please 
notice the following points shown in the 
parable. 1st. They are all buildings, the 
result of work, and of time. So each man 
has made, or is making, for himself a 
character, either good or worthless. 2d. 
So each individual is supposed to have 
built his character on the foundation Jesus 
Christ. Now, be not surprised, dear 
reader, to be called to think that any one 
could build a worthless character, founded 
on the belief in Jesus as his Saviour, for 



18 BEA VENL Y REWARDS. 

you will notice that Paul is not writing 
to sinners (to unbelievers) but " to saints, 
to all that call upon the name of Jesus 
Christ." 1 Cor. 1 : 2. 

Do You Know of Such ? 

You may have evidence of the exist- 
ence of such by a critical survey among 
your acquaintance, and very likely you 
will see more than one whose whole 
character (or rather whose influence for 
good) amounts to nothing. Either he has 
so little faith in Jesus Christ as a Saviour 
from sin, that, like a reed by the brook, he 
leans whichever way the wind happens to 
blow, so that no one of his acquaintance 
is able to tell which way he leans the 
oftenest ; or, while there is at times an 
earnest conviction and confession of the 
truth, yet too often is the conversation 
so trifling, so vain, so worldly, that the 
professed worldling counts him as a boon 






DO YOU KNOW OF SUCH? 19 

companion and advocate of the silliest 
fads of the day. 

And this is certainly evident, as the 
Apostle cautions each one to be careful 
how he builds, and what materials he 
uses, and gives the reason for such caution : 
For the judgment day will test every 
man's work by fire, as to its capacity to 
stand the most searching ordeal. Please 
note the result. Those built of enduring 
materials will stand the test, and the 
builder will receive a reward, while those 
built of unworthy materials will perish in 
the test; they will be burnt up. Now 
comes the strangest part of this test, and 
here the figure of a material house is lost 
sight of, and only the idea of a man's 
character is thought of The material 
building, of wood, hay, or stubble, is 
burnt up ; the character that the man has 
built is so worthless as to be not fit for 
preservation, his whole life-work is totally 



20 HEA VENL Y REWARDS. 

destroyed ; yet, strange to say, the man 
himself is saved (so different from what 
our worldly decisions would have been) : 
he himself " will be saved, yet so as by 
fire/' 

Saved so as by Fire. 

Please notice the expression, " Saved so 
as by fire." Dear reader, this is not 
exactly the salvation that you desire. It 
is entirely needless for me to urge you to 
a more earnest and determined effort to 
build a more substantial, more honor- 
able, more worthy, more durable char- 
acter, able to stand unharmed any, and 
every test that can be applied. 

But you see a remarkable difference in 
the degrees of salvation. The one receives 
a reward, and the other is barely saved, 
because he built on Jesus Christ, the true 
foundation, he believed on, and accepted 
Jesus Christ as his Saviour, while all that 



SA VED SO AS BY FIRE. 21 

he did, his whole life-work, is condemned 
and destroyed. 

What are some of the characters that 
Paul meant to refer to, as " wood, hay, 
and stubble?" The votary of fashion 
must be one, when Paul says, " Be not 
conformed to this world." The Politician 
is another who is more earnestly work- 
ing for his party than to build up the 
Church of Christ. The ambitious man, 
in his search after fame of this world, 
falls short of that which endures through 
eternity ; the Divine who is more eager 
to win followers for his dogma than to 
bring sinners into the ark. Such are 
some of those who, though they have 
believed with their heart and confessed 
with their mouth that Jesus is the Christ, 
yet have failed to be gatherers in the great 
moral vineyard, and may be among those 
who are barely saved, and receive no 
reward. 



22 HE A VENL Y REWARDS. 

Another Proof. 

We have still another demonstration 
of definite degrees of reward in the 19th 
chapter of Luke, 15-19 verses: "And it 
came to pass, that when He was returned, 
having received the kingdom, then He 
commanded these servants to be called 
unto Him, to whom He had given the 
money, that He might know how much 
every man had gained by trading. Then 
came the first and said, Lord, thy pound 
hath gained ten pounds. And he said, 
"Well, thou good servant, thou hast been 
faithful in a very little, have thou author- 
ity over ten cities. And the second came 
and said, Lord, thy pound hath gained 
five pounds. And he said likewise to 
him, Be thou ruler over five cities." Thus 
we find that there are not only degrees of 
reward, but definite degrees, each according 
to his faithfulness and his acquirements. 
Those who are not faithful, like the sloth- 



CHRIST S TEACHING. 23 

ful servant, who did not use his talent for 
profit, and did nothing for his lord, will 
be condemned and punished. 

But just here, there are those who say, 
that this desire for a reward is selfish and 
such a motive is not to be encouraged. 
Whether or not this is a spirit of selfish- 
ness, we who are seeking this reward are 
following a good example, even that of 
Moses, one of earth's meekest men, and he 
is commended, when it is told of him, 
that " he had a regard to the recompense 
of reward" when he chose that which 
was greater than the " treasures in Egypt," 
including the honors that would have 
come to him as the son of Pharaoh's 
daughter. Heb. 11 : 24-26. And we are 
commanded to " Cast not away your con- 
fidence which hath great recompense of 
reward." Heb. 10 : 35. 

Christ's Teaching*. 

And besides, this desire to possess some- 



24 BE A VENL Y BE WA EDS. 

thing which we do not now enjoy, some- 
thing better than what we can now attain, 
is laid in the foundation of all our Sav- 
iour's teaching, for does He not give us the 
promises, in Matt. 5 : 

" Theirs is the kingdom of Heaven." 
Notice the promise of u a kingdom," u the 
kingdom of Heaven." Nay, more, " they 
shall inherit the earth," and again, " they 
shall be filled ; w all their wants shall 
be satisfied. And again, " They shall be 
called the children of God." Blessed 
privilege, reader, do you appreciate what 
that means? Once more, "Rejoice and 
be exceeding glaa, for great is your 
reward in Heaven." You see our Saviour's 
teaching is full of these incentives. 
Accept Him as your leader and work for 
the advancement of His cause. 

AYhat are we Taught in the Revelation? 

Xow that I believe I have shown vou 



LET EVERY ONE HEAR. 25 

that there are not only rewards but de- 
grees of reward, let us turn over to that 
part of our Holy Book, where they are 
placed in regular order, and to which we 
are especially invited by an announced 
blessing, as in Rev. 1:3: " Blessed is he 
that readeth and they that hear the words 
of this prophecy, and keep those things 
that are written therein, for the time is at 
hand." And then in the closing chapter, 
verse 7, u Behold, I come quickly. Blessed 
is he that keepeth the sayings of the proph- 
ecy of this book." 

Let Every One Hear. 

Let us turn then to the 2d and 3d 
chapters of the book of Revelation for 
the details of these rewards, and espec- 
ially as we are entreated to attend by the 
seven times repeated command, " He that 
hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit 
saith unto the churches/' a positive com- 



26 HEAVENLY REWARDS. 

mand as well as an entreaty, directed to 
each individual church, then to all the 
churches, and finally to every one who can 
hear. Rev. 2 : 1-7. 

The First Degree. 

" These things saith He that holdeth the 
seven stars in His right hand, who walketh 
in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks : 
" To him that overcometh will I give to 
eat of the tree of life that is in the midst 
of the paradise of God." Here we have 
a permission to eat. This tree of life is 
mentioned definitely in Rev. 22 : 2 : "In 
the midst of the street of it (the Holy 
Jerusalem), and on either side of the river, 
w r as there the tree of life, which bare 
twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her 
fruit every month, and the leaves of the 
tree were for the healing of the nations." 
In the garden of Eden where " God made 
to grow every tree that was pleasant to the 






THE FIRST DEGREE. 27 

sight, and good for food, and the tree of 
life, in the midst of the garden." Gen. 2 : 9. 
Of all these did God say ye may freely 
eat. And we find the virtues of this tree 
of life mentioned in Gen. 3 : 23, where it 
is stated as the reason why Adam and Eve 
were driven from the garden was " lest 
he put forth his hand and take of the tree 
of life, and eat, and live forever ; " lest they 
should with their sinful natures partake, 
and live forever. To prevent which the 
Lord drave them from the garden, and set 
an angelic guard to prevent access to the 
tree by themselves or their descendants. 

To many minds who have not considered 
the whole subject this promise at first 
thought would be all to which they would 
aspire, just to get access to the tree and se- 
cure eternal life. But to any one who 
should be satisfied with this promise, it 
would be no better than for a man to say, 
I will only care to build my character on 



28 HE A VENL Y REWARDS, 

Jesus Christ. Hay or stubble will be good 
enough material to build with, or to secure 
the promise of salvation. This might be 
well enough for the thief on the cross if it 
was the first time he was ever in the 
company of the Saviour, and he expected 
it would be the last time (and even he, 
while his petition was as modest and 
humble as could be, " Lord, remember me, 
when thou comest into thy kingdom" — 
even he, in the agonies of the cross, could 
find strength to rebuke the other thief and 
confess his own sin, and the justice of his 
own punishment, and the sinlessness of 
Christ). But for one who had the oppor- 
tunity to know more, to learn more and to 
serve more, would it not be considered a 
contempt of the Lord's gracious promises? 
You, my dear reader, will be one of those 
who will not be satisfied to enter the 
Kingdom " saved so as by fire," like the 
lodgers at a hotel who are awakened at 



THE SECOND DEGREE. 29 

midnight by the cry of " fire ! fire ! " 
and who rush out just in time to escape 
with their lives, with the loss of all their 
baggage. You that have had the chance 
to learn that there are higher degrees 
of reward, you certainly will aim for a 
better portion. Please remember that it 
is His command, " Search the Scriptures, 
for they are they which testify of me." 
John 5 : 39. And again He says, " I am 
the way, and the truth, and the life. No 
man cometh unto the Father but by me." 
And again, " I am the bread of life : he 
that cometh to me shall never hunger." 
John 6 : 35. All testifying that, if we 
believe on Him, we will come to Him, 
learn of Him, and love to keep His com- 
mandments, and He will dwell with us. 

The Second Degree. 

We pass on to the second, the first being 
permissive. The second is a guarantee^ 



30 HEA VENL Y REWARDS. 

and in verse 11 advances us one degree 
higher. "He that overcometh shall not 
be hurt of the second death." Adam and 
Eve in their pristine purity had free ac- 
cess to the tree of life, but we have no 
account that they took advantage of the 
privilege, nor do we learn for what length 
of time they could have availed them- 
selves of the blessing ; but it seems that, 
feeling that life was always within their 
reach, and they could secure it at any mo- 
ment, they postponed securing its benefits 
till their minds became occupied with other 
matters (subjects). It seems they were in- 
duced to estimate the possession of knowl- 
edge of more value than life itself. They 
w r ent in pursuit of that, even against the 
express command, " Thou shalt not eat of 
it, for in the day thou eatest thereof thou 
shalt surely die." Gen. 2 : 17. They did 
take and eat, and by that act they broke 
the covenant by which they could enjoy 



THE THIRD DEGREE. 31 

life. Consequently with their natures 
which had acquired the knowledge of evil 
(before they had only the knowledge of 
good, now they had the knowledge of both 
good and evil), they were cut off from the 
opportunity to continue this depraved na- 
ture to immortality. If we consider this 
guarantee to imply nothing more than 
mere existence, it might be a question of 
especial desirability, but when we remem- 
ber that He who makes these promises 
proclaims His name " is Love," and that 
this promise of life is intended to lead us 
on to other and greater blessings, we im- 
mediately perceive that it is very much to 
be desired, and we become anxious to en- 
quire, what there is in the future that He 
offers. 

So we go forward to the third promise. 

The Third Degree, which is, as we 
Perceive, a Greater Blessing-. 

See verse 17, " To him that overcometh, 



32 HE A VENL Y RE WARDS. 

I will give to eat of the hidden manna, 
and will give him a white stone, and in the 
stone a new name written which no man 
knoweth saving he that receiveth it." Rev. 
3:17. On reading this the mind instantly 
reverts to the food with which the Lord 
fed the Israelites for forty years on their 
march from Egypt to the Promised land, 
Ex. ch. 16, which they called manna (what 
is it?). The Psalmist called it "the corn 
of heaven," " angel's food," Ps. 78 : 24, 
and in 105 : 40 it is called "the bread of 
heaven." Of this manna Moses was com- 
manded to preserve a sample and lay it up 
for a testimony to future generations. This 
pot of manua was preserved in the ark of 
testimony for a long time, but after a while 
this ark was lost, and we have no record 
of it except in the Apocrypha, where it is 
stated that it was hid in a cave, and those 
who hid it when they returned could not 
find the place where they had left it. May 



THE THIRD DEGREE. 33 

it not be possible that the Lord who had 
given such strict commands unto Moses as 
to its size, pattern, material and covering 
of pure gold, that He Himself took care 
of it, and may it not be the same that was 
seen in the temple of God when " it was 
opened in heaven there was seen the ark 
of the testament, and there were light- 
nings, and voices, and thunderings, and an 
earthquake." Rev. 11 : 19. May it not be 
possible that to all those to whom are 
promised the spiritual blessings that are 
typified by this earthly illustration that 
besides these blessings they shall enjoy also 
the pleasure of eating of this " Bread of 
Heaven," this "Angel's Food?" There 
is also promised in this third degree "a 
white stone " (a brilliant gem), which im- 
plies acquittal of all guilt and sin, a white 
stone being used in ancient times as a vote 
for acquittal, as was a black stone for con- 
demnation. Nor can we doubt that His 



34 HEAVENLY REWARDS. 

judgment is just when we remember that 
He walks in the midst of the seven golden 
candlesticks. 

God is Present, 

We should understand that He is 
present in all their assemblies, as they 
are met to worship Him, to take cog- 
nizance of all their actions, not only when 
they are met together, but also of all 
their words and their thoughts when they 
are by themselves. See Heb. 4 : 12, 
where " The word of God is quick and 
powerful, a discerner of the thoughts and 
intents of the hearts." And then notice 
that in the beginning of each mes- 
sage He says, " I know thy works," Rev. 
2 : 2, and again in verse 9, " I know thy 
works," and so all through, seven times 
repeated, " I know thy works." 

We must not forget that we are in the 
presence of the Lord. " Neither is there 
any creature that is not manifest to His 



GOD IS PRESENT. 35 

sight, but all things are naked and open 
to Him with whom we have to do." Heb. 
4 : 13. He is perfectly acquainted with 
even the motives that control our every 
action, some of which we think we have 
perfectly hidden from our nearest friends 
and most intimate relatives. He sees them, 
He understands them, and if we do any 
act from an unworthy motive, however 
much we may try to make it appear 
honorable, the Lord measures, weighs and 
condemns. 

But if the motive be pure, He commends 
and approves the act, be it ever so appar- 
ently trivial, for we must remember that as 
time is made up of minutes and seconds, so 
our lives are made up of a succession of 
small acts, for it is very rarely that we have 
a chance to do some great deed, and that it 
is only to those the commendation is given 
who are doing what are to them small acts 
so apparently trivial, such as a cheerful 



36 HEA VENL Y REWARDS. 

word to some man who is getting despond- 
ent, or even a smile to a crying child (for 
the sake of our Master who commanded, 
" Do good as ye have opportunity "), that 
all are noticed and commended by our lov- 
ing Captain, also our Judge, for He will 
have all the churches to know that He 
" searches the hearts and will give to every 
man according to his works." Rev. 2 : 23. 
Perhaps this new name that is here 
promised will be emblematic of some 
special virtue which the believer possesses, 
as purity, kindness, sympathy. Our Eng- 
lish language is meagre in words to express 
all the minute varieties of feeling, but 
when we arrive at that glorious home He 
who is infinite in His understanding, will 
be able to teach us new definitions of truth, 
and new shades of the great attributes of 
Love. You may remember that the cen- 
turion who came to Jesus to plead for the 
restoration of his servant was especially 



THE FOURTH DEGREE. 37 

commended for his faith, Christ saying, 
" I have not found so great faith, no, not 
in Israel." Matt. 8 : 10. 

The Fourth Degree. 

In our next degree, Rev. 2 : 26, our 
King of glory adds a new condition, "To 
him that overcometh and keepeth my works 
unto the end." While many start out in 
the Christian life with earnest determina- 
tion and sincere desires, not all have the 
faculty of patient continuance in well-do- 
ing which Paul commends in Rom. 2 : 7 
in those who " seek for glory, honor and 
immortality, eternal life." 

This patient continuance, this persever- 
ance in the good way, this determination 
to keep on working for the Lord Jesus, 
this seeking for souls, to win them to the 
way of salvation, to do good, not for the 
honor, the credit, the reputation it will 
give us among our neighbors, but because 



38 HEA VENL Y REWARDS. 

it is right, it is true, is crowned. Because 
he says in his heart, " The Master for 
whom I am working will give the heart- 
felt satisfaction that compensates all who 
work for Him, and then the eternal re- 
ward is beyond all price." Christ says in 
this promise, " To him that overcometh 
and keepeth my works to the end I will 
give power over the nations ; and he shall 
rule them with a rod of iron ; as the vessels 
of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: 
even as I received of my Father. And I will 
give him the morning star." Rev. 2 : 26- 
29. Here is a wonderful promise, " Power 
over the nations," but it is based on the 
condition of " keeping my works to the 
end," as though only he was fit to be en- 
trusted with this " power over the nations" 
who had shown himself fitted by a careful 
and persistent obedience, continued through 
a series of trials. This idea, which at first 
thought might seem to be revengeful, the 



THE FOURTH DEGREE. 39 

work of an angry being, is modified when 
we consider that this word " rod " ought 
to have been translated " sceptre" A 
sceptre of iron, implying both power and 
durability, as well as authority. When 
we speak of a king as wielding a sceptre, 
we think of one who has the rightful 
authority. But it is quite another ques- 
tion when we ask, " Has he the power to 
carry out the plans and schemes that his 
duty or pleasure prompts him to under- 
take? " The promise here includes both. 
" I will give him power over the nations." 
Just here it is well to remark that Jesus 
Christ, who makes this promise, is talking 
of the affairs of the next world — shall I 
call them spiritual affairs? Well Paul 
says, " There is a natural body, and there 
is a spiritual body." 1 Cor. 15:44. So 
when Jesus Christ is revealing spiritual 
truths to our finite minds, it becomes neces- 
sary to use natural (material) objects to il- 



40 HE A VENL Y RE WARDS. 

lustrate this revelation, just as He has been 
speaking in the first chapter as walking in 
the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, 
He explains Himself by saying the seven 
candlesticks (light bearers) are the seven 
churches, i. e., they represent the seven 
churches. Recurring now to the rod 
(sceptre) of iron, please note the form of 
the expression, "As the vessels of a potter 
shall they be broken in pieces, even as I 
received of my Father." 

Christ's Reign. 

Perhaps we can get some light on this 
subject by referring to the second Psalm, 
where the reign of Christ is the subject. 
The Psalmist asks in the first two verses : 
" Why do the heathen (nations) rage, and 
the people imagine a vain thing? The 
kings of the earth set themselves, and the 
rulers take counsel together, against the 
Lord and against His anointed, saying, 



CHRIST'S REIGN. 41 

Let us break their bands asunder, let us 
cast away their cords from us." The 
kings and rulers and the people planning 
and trying to get away from under the 
dominion of the Lord. The fourth and 
fifth verses, " He that sitteth in the 
heavens shall laugh, the Lord shall have 
them in derision," describes the Lord's 
contempt for their impotent rage. The 
sixth and seventh verses declare God's de- 
termination and decree that Christ shall 
reign : " Yet have I set my king upon my 
holy hill of Zion ; I will declare the de- 
cree. The Lord hath said unto me, Thou 
art my Son, this day have I begotten 
thee." In the eighth verse is represented 
the Lord's address to the Son, and the 
promise that these very nations shall be 
converted and given to Him : "Ask of me 
and I shall give thee the heathen for thine 
inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the 
earth for thy possession." The ninth 



42 HEA VENL Y REWARDS. 

verse declares how He will rule, and break 
in pieces all that obstinately oppose Him : 
"Thou shalt break them with a rod of 
iron ; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like 
a potter's vessel." You see it is here said, 
that Jesus Christ (the Son of God) is the 
one who shall dash in pieces all His 
enemies and opposers. But notice par- 
ticularly how in the last three verses, where 
the Psalmist pleads with the kings and 
rulers and judges to serve the Lord, and to 
submit before He shall utterly destroy 
them : " Be wise now, therefore, O ye kings. 
Be instructed, ye judges of the earth. 
Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with 
trembling ; kiss the Son lest He be angry, 
and ye perish from the way when His 
wrath is kindled but a little." Look 
again to Psalm 149, where we are told the 
object is " To execute vengeance upon the 
heathen and punishment upon the people, 
to execute upon them the judgments writ- 






CHRIST'S REIGN? 43 

ten." The last clause seems to be the key- 
by which we are to understand this prom- 
ise. God's promises to the obedient and 
His threats to the disobedient are recorded 
in His book, many of which are yet to be 
fulfilled. For evidence read the eighth 
and ninth chapters of Revelation, where it 
seems that these judgments are adminis- 
tered by the Holy Angels, under the direc- 
tion of the Lord. It is stated in Luke 
20 : 36 : " They which shall be accounted 
worthy to obtain that world and the resur- 
rection from the dead are equal unto the 
angels." Consider the power of the 
angels, 2 Sam. 24 : 16 : when an angel 
smote of the Israelites seventy thousand 
men with a pestilence; in Acts 12: 23: 
where an angel smote Herod because he 
gave not God the glory for the gift of 
eloquence, and in Matt. 28 : 2 : where an 
angel rolled the stone from the door of the 
sepulchre, whose countenance struck the 



44 BE A VENL Y RE WARDS. 

Roman guard of soldiers with fear so 
"that they became as dead men." An 
angel came down to close the mouths of 
the lions, when Daniel was cast into their 
den : Dan. 6 : 22. Christ tells us that 
they are to be the agents to gather out of 
His kingdom all that do iniquity : Matt. 

13 : 41 ; and again they are sent as guards 
for God's people: see 2 Kings 6:17; 
Psalms 68 : 17, and 34 : 7. They are the 
instruments in God's hand to carry out 
some of his purposes : see Isa. 37 : 46, 
where one angel in one night went out and 
slew 185,000 of Sennacherib's army as 
they lay before the walls of Jerusalem, as 
a poet describes the fact : 

14 For the angel of death spread his wings on the 

blast, 
And breathed in the face of the foe as he 

passed, 
And the eye of the sleeper waxed deadly and 

chill, 






CHRIST'S HEIGHT. 45 

And his heart but once heaved and forever was 

still. 
And the might of the Gentile, untouched by the 

sword, 
Hath melted like snow in the glance of the 

Lord." 

This power seems to be implied in this 
promise to him that overcometh, to attain 
to this degree, to be an executive officer in 
God's kingdom, executing His commands, 
in doing good to His children, or in pun- 
ishing His enemies, but whether in this 
world, or in some other, is not stated — 
perhaps both — and which, no doubt, we 
will understand better when we reach that 
land where " we shall know even as we 
are known." We still have another gift 
pledged in this degree, verse 28 : " I will 
give him the morning star." By referring 
to chapter 22: 16: "I Jesus have sent 
mine angel to testify unto you these things 
in the churches ; I am the root and off- 



46 HE A VENL Y REWARDS. 

spring of David and the bright and morn- 
ing star," we can get an explanation of 
the truth taught here from the fact that 
Jesus calls the church His Bride, and 
Himself the Bridegroom. We may, per- 
haps, suppose that is represented : " I will 
give him (the Bride) the morning star (the 
Bridegroom)." 

The Fifth Degree. 

Having now meditated upon four of the 
degrees let us look at the fifth. Chap. 
3:5: " He that overcometh, the same shall 
be clothed in white raiment, and I will not 
blot out his name out of the Book of Life, 
but I will confess his name before my 
Father and before the Holy Angels." 

This white raiment is declared, in Rev. 
19 : 8, to be the righteousness of the saints. 
He shall not only be cleansed from all de- 
filement and pollution, but he shall have 
the outward manifestation of the same. He 



THE FIFTH DEGREE. 47 

shall show to the world that he is holy 
and pure. Of course not his own holi- 
ness, and purity, but he shall be clothed 
with the righteousness of Christ. The 
same thought may be intended here, that 
as one company that John saw in heaven, 
Rev. 7:14, had " come out of great trib- 
ulation, and had washed their robes and 
made them white in the blood of the 
Lamb." See Isa. 1:18. "Though your 
sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as 
snow ; though they be red like crim- 
son, they shall be like wool." Also 1 John 
1:7: " If we walk in the light, as he is in 
the light, we have fellowship one with 
another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His 
Son cleanseth us from all sin." But in this 
case this promise may imply that the Re- 
deemer will bestow this white (shining) 
garment on the believer, just as He did on 
Joshua, as recorded in Zech. 3:4: " Take 
away the filthy garments from him, and 



48 HE A VENL Y RE WA EDS. 

unto him He said, Behold I have caused 
thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I 
will clothe thee with a change of raiment." 
But to return : " I will not blot out his 
name out of the Book of Life, but I will 
confess his name before my Father, and 
before the holy angels." This seems to 
imply that every human being born, has 
his (or her) name written in the book of 
life, a candidate for immortality, and that 
those who by continued sin have refused 
to accept salvation, are blotted out from 
this book, but those who accept the Sav- 
iour as their Redeemer are not blotted out, 
but will receive the blessings that Christ 
hath purchased for them, and also as there 
has been a change in the destiny of some, 
yet in the case of these there will be no 
change ; their names shall not be blotted 
out, but a complete acknowledgment of 
their union with Christ before the Father. 
The marriage is complete. The union of 



SEVERAL CROWNS. 49 

the Bride with the adorable Bridegroom is 
consummated, and they are one, and Christ 
is all, and in all. 

Several Crowns. 

There are still two more degrees for our 
consideration. " Behold I come quickly. 
Hold fast that thou hast, that no man 
take thy crown." Rev. 3:11. Here refer- 
ence is made to a Crown. 

There are several crowns, of which 
every believer may have one, provided his 
work shall be comparable to the gold, 
silver, or precious gems spoken of in 1 
Cor. 3:12. 

The Crown of Life is for all who pa- 
tiently endure trials for Christ's sake. Jas. 
1:12; Rev. 2:10. 

The Crown Incorruptible is for those 
who run well the race, by denying self, 
putting off the old man, and who refuse to 



50 HE A VENL Y REWARDS. 

indulge the sinful nature. 1 Cor. 9 : 24- 
27. 

The Crown of Rejoicing is for those 
who win souls. 1 Thess. 2:19. 

The Crown of Glory is for all those 
who help to feed the flock. 1 Pet. 5 : 1-4. 

The Crown of Righteousness is for all 
those who love His appearing. 2 Tim. 4 : 8. 

The Sixth Degree. 

For the next step higher, see Rev. 3 : 
12 : "Him that overcometh will I make a 
pillar in the temple of my God, and he 
shall go no more out, and I will write 
upon him the name of my God, and the 
name of the city of my God, which is New 
Jerusalem, which cometh down out of 
Heaven, from my God, and my new 
name." In connection with the renewed 
command : " He that hath an ear to hear, 
let him hear." Though it may not be in 
the power of finite mortals to understand 



THE SIXTH DEGREE. 51 

all that is intended to be meant b) r this 
promise, yet we may get a vague idea of 
some of its blessings. We have no doubt 
that we are to understand by the expres- 
sion of being a pillar in the temple the 
idea of usefulness, of durability and of 
beauty. We are carried back in thought 
to the two pillars that Solomon set up in 
the temple he was building, one of which 
he called Jachin (he shall establish) and 
the other Boaz (it is strength), described in 
2 Chron. 3:17, which with their chapiters 
were forty cubits high, and with their 
chains of net- work, lilies and pomegran- 
ates, must have been a gorgeous spectacle, 
and were perhaps emblematical of the 
glories that are to be displayed in the New 
Jerusalem, and those who attain to this 
degree shall also have the wonderful name 
of the Father and of the Son, and of the 
glorious city which cometh down from 
Heaven. Here is something which we 



52 HEAVENLY SEWARDS. 

poor, feeble mortals may not be able to 
comprehend — what is meant by our 
being called the children of God, and to 
have His name on us ; but we may be sure 
that there are glories which the blessed 
Saviour would have us aspire to, else why 
should He have come down to reveal Him- 
self and these promises to those whom He 
would have to work for Him? And we 
may rest assured that what we cannot com- 
prehend now " we shall know hereafter," 
John 13 : 7, the which when we come to 
the full enjoyment thereof will be so much 
a greater surprise. ^Ve may know what 
it is to be called by our fellow-mortals 
"A true Christian ; a true follower of the 
Lord Jesus ; " but then we shall a thou- 
sand-fold better know when the Searcher 
of all hearts shall pronounce us to be a His 
Own " and as truly belonging to God, and 
citizens, heaven-adopted citizens, of the 
New Jerusalem, 



A PLEA. 53 

A Plea. 

What inducements are here held out for 
each one to fight the good fight of faith, 
to press on manfully towards the prize, 
and to let nothing hinder or turn us back 
out of the way ! Though the pleasures 
and allurements of time are very inviting, 
let us remember that they are but fleeting 
and transitory; but the unseen joys to- 
wards which our souls are hasting, they 
alone are eternal ; they shall never facie 
away, nor will they pall upon the appetite 
of those who enjoy them. It seems when 
we consider the sixth degree — this next to 
the highest degree of glory — that the 
blessed Jesus in His commendatory re- 
marks on the character of the one who was 
worthy of this degree says : " I know thy 
works. Behold I have set before thee 

An Open Door, 

and no man can shut it, for thou hast a 



54 HEAVENLY REWARDS. 

little strength, and hast kept my word and 
hast not denied ray name. And because 
thou hast kept the word of my patience, I 
will also keep thee from the hour of temp- 
tation, which shall come upon all the world 
to try them that dwell upon the earth/' 
Rev. 3: 8-10. (These troublous times 
were foretold by our Saviour, see Matt. 
24 : 21, 22 : " Then shall be great tribula- 
tion, such as was not since the beginning 
of the world, no, nor ever shall be. And 
except those days should be shortened, 
there shall no flesh be saved, but for the 
elect's sake those days shall be short- 
ened.") 

This was as much as to say, Hold on a 
little longer, strive a little harder, and 
thou shalt attain this high, this glorious 
reward, which shall make thee an orna- 
ment in the temple of God, with the as- 
sured privilege of an enduring home, in 
addition to those other blessings beyond 



WHO ARE THE LAODICEANS? 55 

our present comprehension. We may well 
ask ourselves, Are we walking the nar- 
row way ? Are we striving with all our 
energies to attain these glorious blessings? 

The Seventh— The Climax. 

We now come to the consideration of 
the last of these promises, given by the 
Saviour, who says of Himself : " I have 
all power in Heaven and on earth, and 
will give what is appointed of my Father." 
Matt. 20 : 23. This climax of all degrees 
of honor. Hear what he says : u He that 
hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit 
saith unto the churches." " These things 
saith the Amen, the faithful and true wit- 
ness, the beginning of the creation of 
God." Eev. 3 : 14. He offers this from 
His abounding love. 

Who Are the Laodiceans ? 

But before entering on the consideration 
of this last degree, let us stop a little to 



56 SEA VENL Y REWARDS. 

meditate on the character of the memoers 
of this church now addressed. He began 
this as to each of the others, with the state- 
ment, " I know thy works/' and it would 
have been very interesting to have dis- 
cussed them all in the order they were 
given, with their separate commendations, 
or reproofs, but it would have made my 
small volume entirely too large, and pos- 
sibly have turned our minds from the 
great point which I wish to make most 
prominent — the Degrees of Rewards, but 
there seems to be an especial urgency to 
look at this description of character as it 
comes from the mouth of Him Avho judgeth 
not as man judgeth, but who sees the in- 
most recesses of the heart, and who tests 
every motive of the past life. " I know 
thy works, that thou art neither cold nor 
hot ; I would thou wert cold or hot. So 
then because thou art lukewarm, and 
neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out 



WHO ARE THE LAODICEANSf 57 

of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am 
rich and increased in goods, and have need 
of nothing, and knowest not that thou art 
wretched, and miserable, and poor, and 
blind, and naked. I counsel thee to buy 
of me gold tried in the fire, that thou 
may est be rich, and white raiment that 
thou mayest be clothed, and the shame of 
thy nakedness do not appear, and anoint 
thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest 
see. As many as I love, I rebuke and 
chasten ; be zealous therefore and repent. 
Behold I stand at the door and knock ; if 
any man hear my voice and open the door, 
I will come in to him, and will sup with 
him and he with me." Rev. 3 : 15-20. 

" Behold a Stranger at the door ; 
He gently knocks, has knocked before, 
Has waited long, is waiting still, 
You treat no other friend so ill. 
Oh, lovely attitude He stands, 
With melting heart and laden hands ; 



HEAVENLY REWARDS. 

Oh. matchless kindness ! and He shows 
This matchless kindness to His foes. 
Rise, touched with gratitude divine, 
Turn out His enemy and thine. 
That soul-destroying monster sin. 
And let the heavenly Stranger in.'' 

And now. dear reader, please ask yourself 
how much of this description tits your 
character. You go to church and sit and 
hear a carefully prepared discourse ; you 
pay a share to the support of the minister 
and for the choir, but really how much are 
you interested in the progress of religion, 
in the cause of the blessed Redeemer, who 
came to earth and gave His labors and His 
life to establish and advance? Is your 
heart warmly engaged in seeking to win 
souls to Jesus ? 

Are You a Worker ? 

Can you in any sense of the term be 
called a "worker in the vineyard of the 



PERHAPS ONLY THOUGHTLESS. 59 

Lord," a gatherer, a gleaner in the great 
harvest-field for eternity ? Do you re- 
member what Jesus said? "He that 
gathereth not with me, scattereth abroad." 
Matt. 1 2 : 30. Please remember that no 
amount of money expended in building 
fine churches (though their towers may 
reach the clouds), with stained glass win- 
dows, carpeted aisles and cushioned pews, 
will ever induce one soul to come to Jesus 
to plead His forgiveness, and seek God's 
mercy. Consider then whether this is in 
any sense a portrait of yourself. Are you 
one of these Laodiceans of whom the Sav- 
iour says, " I will spew thee out of my 
mouth ? " 

Perhaps Only Thoughtless. 
But, alas, there is another side to my 
plea. The thought presents itself to my 
mind, that possibly you, my dear friend, 
instead of being a worker for Christ, have 
not taken Him as your Saviour. You may 



60 HE A VJENL Y RE WARDS. 

not have even seriously thought of the 
rewards the Lord has in store for them 
that love Him and that are workers for 
Him. You may not have opened your 
heart to Him. Can it be possible that you 
have not accepted the love of your truest, 
(and who would be) your most enduring 
Friend ? If so, do not delay one day, no, 
not one hour. You would not delay to 
open your door to an earthly friend. How 
much more should you open to receive the 
Heavenly King ! He, whose name is 
Love, whose every act with regard to you 
has been one of love, and kindness from 
your birth to the present moment. 

Are You a Grumbler? 

Just here another thought comes to the 
writer, that possibly the reader may be one 
of those who have had murmuring, and 
rebellious thoughts against the Lord. Per- 
haps because He has not given you some- 



ARE YOU A GRUMBLER? 61 

thing on which you had set your heart, and 
possibly it may have been something that 
you had esteemed perfectly right and proper 
for you to enjoy, and perhaps you have 
even prayed to the Lord for it, and you 
have been dissatisfied because you did not 
get it, because He did not give it, and it 
seemed so easy (with your faith in God) 
for Him to grant it. Well, my dear friend, 
did you ever see a little child sitting in his 
chair, or on the floor, crying because his 
mother would not give him a knife, or a 
scissors that he desired ? Did that mother 
do right in refusing? How much more 
does your Heavenly Father do right, in 
refusing to give you something, that He in 
His infinite wisdom knew, would have been 
to your great damage ! Can you not assent 
with your heart, and say, "Thy will be 
done," and be satisfied with the assurance, 
(i What t-hou knowest not now, thou shalt 
know hereafter." John 13 : 7. 



62 HEA YEXL Y REWARDS. 

The Seventh, the Highest Degree. 

We have now come to the consideration 
of the seventh degree, the ]ast and the 
highest ; but before I quote the verse where 
it is recorded, allow me to remark that 
among the many scores with whom I have 
conversed on this subject, I have yet to 
find the first one who has presumed to form 
an idea, approximating the great and glo- 
rious honor, which is here promised to him 
that overcometh to this degree of excellency 
of service. And I feel confident that as soon 
as you read the promise, you will see at a 
glance, that those commentators are mis- 
taken who pretend to say that all " these 
promises are made to all and every believer 
in Christ Jesus," from the thief on the 
cross who was assured, that he should be 
with Jesus in Paradise, to the venerable 
Enoch, who walked with God three hun- 
dred years while on earth, and was after- 
wards "translated (carried to Heaven 



THE HIGHEST PROMISE. 63 

without dying) that he should not see 
death, for before his translation he had this 
testimony that he pleased God." Heb. 11 : 
5. For this promise exceeds all the other 
rewards that have been offered to any mor- 
tal man. 

The Highest and Most Glorious 
Promise. 

See Eev. 3 : 21 : "To him that over- 

cometh will I grant to sit with me on my 

throne, even as I also overcame, and am 

set down with my Father on His throne." 

Well, my faith staggers, and for an instant 

a doubt comes and asks, " Is it possible 

that the Son of God, the King eternal, 

immortal and invisible, should offer, should 

propose, should even suggest to mortal man 

this most sublime idea of a partnership in 

His throne? Can it be possible? Was it not 

some mistake, some slip of the pen of the 

beloved disciple ? No (the Lord forgive my 

doubt). Here it stands in all its fullness, 



64 BE A VENL Y REWARDS. 

and lias stood ever since it was written 
by the beloved John, and quoted from the 
mouth of Jesus Christ, who came down to 
visit him when " in the isle called Patmos, 
and in the Spirit on the Lord's day/' 
Rev. 1 : 9. Turn to your Bible and see if 
I do not quote it right. Turn to 3d chap- 
ter of Rev. 21st verse : "I will grant to sit 
with me in my throne, even as I also over- 
came, and am set down with my Father in 
His throne." Immediately following the 
verse just quoted, "Behold I stand at the 
door and knock." 

No Room for Doubt. 

Just as though He could see into your 
heart this present moment, and He saw 
that you would be doubtful of believing 
such a glorious promise. Yes — here the 
promise stands, in this third chapter of 
Revelation. A book that (I regret to 
say) has been neglected, slighted, and 



NO ROOM FOR DOUBT. 65 

passed by by so many readers of the 
Bible, because perchance it contains some 
very mysterious and strange sentences, 
which no commentator has as yet been 
able to understand and explain. Perhaps 
this may be the reason why the Protestant 
Episcopal Church, in prescribing a course 
of yearly reading of the Bible, has left out 
nearly twenty chapters of the book of the 
Revelation. Yet in the very beginning 
of this book stands the promise (the third 
verse), " Blessed is he that readeth and they 
that hear the words of this prophecy, and 
keep those things that are written therein, 
for the time is at hand," and again almost 
at the close, " Blessed is he that keepeth 
the sayings of the prophecy of this book." 
Rev. 22 : 7. Here stands the promise, 
" I will grant to sit with me in my throne." 
This is not idle talk, not mere verbiage, 
but given in all truth and sincerity by 
Him who has the right, the authority, and 



66 HE A VENL Y EE WA EDS. 

the power. Well, perhaps you ask, " How 
do I explain this promise?" I reply, 
" I do not explain it at all ; I dare give no 
explanation to God's word, so solemnly 
and emphatically given ; it needs no ex- 
planation, no commentary. The promise 
just quoted is to those who 'read and 
hear, who keep* the sayings." In this 
case there is no promise of an explanation. 
May we not accept this promise of the 
Lord, even though we do not understand 
it, just as we now believe a thousand facts in 
nature which we cannot comprehend ? If 
we are unwilling to accept God's promise 
in its fulness, its length and breadth, we 
need not accept it at all. 

But perhaps I hear some one is startled 
with this promise, as if he had heard it for 
the first time, and he inquires in much 
surprise, " Why, how is this ? Why have 
not our preachers been telling us this be- 
fore? If these are the teachings of the 



NO BOOM FOB DOUBT. 67 

Bible, why have I not heard them before ? 
I have been going to church for so many 
years, and have heard many preachers, 
and not one of them has ever told me of 
these wonderful promises." Well, my 
dear friend, perhaps you cannot recall now 
all the truths of the sermons you have 
heard in the past, or perhaps the Holy 
Spirit is just now opening your heart to 
take in these precious promises; for I 
must confess that it is only lately that 
these words have been brought to my 
mind in all their fullness and force, and I 
have been constrained to write them out 
for your edification, something "new as 
well as old to be brought out of the treas- 
ures." Matt. 13 : 52. Or, perhaps, there 
are too many who only teach from God's 
word what they think they understand, as 
described in Isa. 29 : 10-14 : " For the 
Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit 
of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes, 



68 HE A VENL Y RE WARDS. 

the prophets and the rulers, the seers hath 
He covered. And the vision of all is be- 
come unto you as the words of a book that 
is sealed, which men deliver to one that is 
learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee, 
and he saith, I cannot, for it is sealed. And 
the book is delivered to him that is not 
learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee, and 
he saith, I cannot, for I am not learned. 
"Wherefore the Lord said, For as much as 
this people draw near me with their mouth, 
and with their lips do honor me, but have 
removed their heart far from me, and 
their fear toward me is taught by the pre- 
cept of men, therefore, behold, I will 
proceed to do a marvellous work among 
this people, even a marvellous work and a 
wonder, for the wisdom of their wise men 
shall perish, and the understanding of the 
prudent men shall be hid." I have no 
explanation, and can only say with the 
Revelator as he closes what he was com- 



ANOTHER PLEA. 69 

manded to write— Rev. 22 : 18, 19 : "If 
any man shall add unto these things God 
shall add unto him the plagues that are 
written in this book, and if any man shall 
take away from the words of the book of 
this prophecy, God shall take away his part 
out of the book of life and out of the holy 
city, and from the things that are written 
in this book." 

Another Plea. 

And now, my dear friend, having read 
and meditated over these precious promises 
which our Master has seen fit to leave for 
our encouragement to work for Him, would 
it not be well to ask ourselves for which 
of all these seven prizes shall be our aim ? 
Shall we be satisfied merely to get permis- 
sion to eat of the tree of life, even though 
it does "grow on either side of the river 
of life, and yieldeth her fruit every month ? " 
Rev. 22 : 1. Will you be satisfied to hear 
what the Saviour said to the thief on the 



70 HEAVENLY REWARDS. 

cross, "Thou shalt be with me in paradise ?" 
I hope you are not postponing the day of 
repentance till your last hour, expecting, 
calculating, that because the dying thief 
was heard just at the last hour, so you will 
find access and acceptance at such a time. 
Because, let me say, that one example was 
left on record, that no one might despair, 
but you have no right to trust such a hope, 
for you will never be placed in the same 
position as was that thief, hanging on the 
cross, beside another cross on which is sus- 
pended the Son of God. No, my dear 
friend, put not off the day of acceptance on 
such a vain hope. " Now is the accepted 
time, now is the day of salvation." While 
the same blessed Saviour left for our con- 
sideration so many more glorious rewards, 
it is not as though He had made us no 
other offers. But He has, and it would be 
indifferent to His love, regardless of His 
bounty, if we should slight all these, and 



ANOTHER PLEA. 71 

merely care for and accept the least of them 
all. It would not be merely neglect, it 
would be contempt, and the wonder 
would be, if he should not say (like the 
king who made a marriage supper for his 
son, when the invited guests began to make 
excuse), " They shall not taste of my sup- 
per." But there is still another considera- 
tion. He has given us many blessings in 
our lives, and has commanded us, " Occupy 
till I come/' Assuring us that these re- 
wards shall be bestowed upon us according 
to our works, not to be reckoned to us as 
wages, but as rewards according to our 
works, and these rewards are very far be- 
yond our best labors, if they are measured 
by time, but when we consider that these 
rewards are for eternity — eternity, set over 
against our feeble works for a few short 
years — then the rewards are far beyond 
our comprehension. 



72 HE A VENL Y RE WARDS. 

Still Another Plea. 

In conclusion, my dear friend, whatever 
may be your business, whether in the 
whirl of busy engagements, or living at 
your ease, let me make this appeal to your 
conscience. I am now past my threescore 
and ten, and though I have stood up to 
plead for Jesus before many audiences, 
never has my heart been so stirred within 
me, as at this time, when I consider the 
thousands that shall read these lines and 
the various circumstances under which 
they will be perused. In the lumber 
camps of Michigan, or the orange groves 
of Florida, in the mining cabins of Colo- 
rado, in the midst of the noisy school-room, 
or around the quiet fire of a prairie dug- 
out, or in the bustle of the shop, or in a 
winter evening family circle, how many 
will read, and perhaps from these pages 
make their final decision, not to be 
changed in their life — a decision which, if 



THE IDLER NOT INNOCENT. 73 

for good, will make you more earnest and 
devoted while you live. But if, after all, 
these motives and appeals shall have failed, 
then the result will be greater carelessness 
and more pronounced thoughtlessness as 
regards your future destiny. Let me add, 
if this appeal fails to arouse you to a 
greater activity in spiritual life, to a re- 
newed energy in the service of the Master, 
then I fear very much that your career 
will be like the rider on the bicycle. 
While moving on, he can keep upright, 
but falls to the ground as soon as he stops. 
So the Christian life is advancing, while 
active, but as soon as working ceases it de- 
clines. 

The Idler Not Innocent. 

This is the law of spiritual life. Christ 
says, " My Father worketh hitherto, and I 
work" — John 5 : 17; and it is not idle 
talk when He declares in Matt. 12 : 30, 
" He that is not for me is against me," 



74 HE A VENL Y REWARDS. 

and as if that was not sufficiently explicit, 
He adds, "He that gathereth not with me 
scattei*eth abroad" The looker-on in the 
harvest field, who stands gazing at the 
reapers and binders and gleaners, is simply 
called an idler, but the one in the moral 
vineyard who is not positively engaged in 
winning and training souls for eternal 
glory, who is doing nothing towards the 
advancement of Christ's kingdom, the Sav- 
iour declares is positively using his influ- 
ence to draw them to destruction ; in plain 
terms, is working for the evil one, and in 
opposition to Jesus, 

A Solemn Thought. 

He draws a distinct line, and one by 
which we can positively decide where we 
stand ; and no one that reads this dec- 
laration of Him who when on earth was 
the sinners' friend and died to save them 
from their sins, but who will at the last 



A SOLEMN THOUGHT. 75 

day sit as their Judge, no one need have 
any hesitancy in deciding exactly on which 
side of the line he stands. Let your con- 
science be your judge, while you ask your- 
self, What have I done during the past 
week or month on the side of religion ? 
What effort have I made to win one more 
person to be a Christian ? Have I really 
had one strong desire, offered one earnest 
prayer that Jesus Christ would build up 
His kingdom in my heart, or in the heart 
of one of my neighbors, or any acquaint- 
ance ? What does your conscience reply ? 
Not once? Once? Every day I have 
tried to do so ? Then you know exactly 
where you stand, and you are the better 
prepared for the morrow, just as soon as 
you go to work for one of the higher re- 
wards. Of course it is possible you may 
say I won't decide now ; I will wait a little 
till I have finished that which I had 
planned ; then I will go to work in earnest. 



76 HE A VENL Y RE WARDS. 

You Have Decided. 

Well, my dear friend, you have decided. 
If not as a positive worker for the Master, 
it is (by His declaration) a positive decision 
against Him. There is no neutral posi- 
tion. You can take your choice ; you will 
take your choice. I have tried to call up 
before your mind the inducements He 
offers to work for Him. Let me entreat you 
to decide for the right, to be "awake to 
righteousness." This is a busy world; the 
masses around us are stirring, and active. 
The desire for gain, or advantage of one 
kind or another, is stimulating the worldly 
ones to their utmost. Shall those who are 
looking for eternal rewards be less earnest, 
less active, less energetic ? They certainly 
ought to be as much more energetic, as 
eternity will be more enduring than time, 
and in proportion as the rewards that 
Jesus gives, will be more satisfying than 
those of time. But unfortunately we are 



AN ILL USTEA TION. 77 

so shortsighted, that we can see nothing 
beyond the present moment. The crowd 
around us are moving on, pushing on, in 
their eager rush after happiness. Will 
they find it ? I believe they will absolutely 
fail so long as they are searching for hap- 
piness for itself alone, aside from obtaining 
it as the result of good accomplished. 
For God so formed us that we can only 
find true happiness in conformity to His 
will. The mass of mankind who have 
turned away from God, are like men with 
their backs to the sun, pursuing their own 
shadows, and the further they get away 
from the source of light, the more com- 
pletely do their shadows elude their grasp. 

An Illustration. 

Take this illustration. A skilful me- 
chanic is building a piece of machinery to 
produce certain results that he has planned 
in his own mind (not the results of his 



78 HE A VENL Y RE WA EDS, 

enemy who has entirely different schemes). 
If feeble man, with his limited faculties, can 
bring his machine to such a degree of per- 
fection that it shall accomplish the results 
desired, is it possible for us to suppose, 
that an omniscient and omnipotent God, 
( who declares Himself as Love itself), 
when he planned and fashioned man, could 
have made a being, who would so far fail 
in the great purpose for which he was 
created, as to be perfectly happy, away 
from his Creator, and on whom he was 
dependent for every moment of his ex- 
istence ? Such an idea is utterly pre- 
posterous. Could such a being fail in His 
plan? No, and forever, No. Neither 
can any human being, ever enjoy true 
happiness in any other way, than living in 
conformity to God's will. For this end, 
He has left us certain rules for our guid- 
ance. 



ACCEPT ETERNAL LIFE. 79 

Shall I Show You the Road ? 

I have written thus far in the hope of 
prevailing on you to come to the determin- 
ation to make an effort, to win one of the 
higher prizes, and now that you have had 
them in review, and you still read on, I 
take it for granted that you would be glad 
to learn the road. May I have the pleasure 
of giving a few hints as to the best way to 
success? You believe then in God, the 
Creator of all, who has placed us here. 
And " If there is a God above us, He must 
delight in virtue, and that which He 
delights in must be happy." 

Accept Eternal Life. 

Believing then that He has left us not to 
our own guidance, but trusting to the in- 
structions that He has written us in His 
word, and with firm faith in His ability 
to lead, where and when He has com- 
manded us to follow, we accept the assur- 



80 HE A VENL Y REWARDS. 

ance that He is always near at hand, and 
ready to answer all who call upon Him in 
truth, and that He is able to save to the 
uttermost. Seeing then that He is able to 
pardon, can you doubt that He is willing 
to pardon, when He says, "Him that 
cometh to me I will in nowise cast out." 
John 6 : 37. No, you cannot doubt but 
must accept the fact, that he is both able 
and willing. It needs but one step more 
for your faith to accept that pardon now, 
for hath He not declared — John 5 : 24 : 
" Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that 
heareth my word, and believeth on Him 
that sent me, hath everlasting life, and 
shall not come into condemnation, but is 
passed from death unto life." Accept it 
then, and when you believe it, it is yours, 
for are not these the terms : " He that be- 
lieveth, hath eternal life." Read this over 
again slowly, and carefully, word for 
word, and take it in, in all its fulness. 



SANCTIFICATION. 81 

Believe the assurance, accept it, and act on 
it, just as the prisoner in his cell. A 
friend comes bringing the pardon, and 
reads it to him, hands him the paper, 
signed and sealed; he reads it for himself, 
but what will it profit him, so long as he 
fails to avail himself of it? But if he 
arises and walks forth, he is free. So do 
thou walk forth from the bondage of past 
sin. u There is therefore now no condem- 
nation to them which are in Jesus Christ, 
who walk not after the flesh, but after the 
Spirit." Rom. 8 : 1. Thus much for 
justification, and if our sins are pardoned, 
then our next step, that we may grow unto 
the perfect stature of manhood in Christ 

Jesus, is — 

Sanctification. 

Sanctification is what we need, and I 
pray that you may be cleansed from all 
your sins. In this matter you need entire 
faith, but Paul settles this matter also 

6 



S2 IIEA VENL Y RE WARDS. 

when he declares : " God is able to do ex- 
ceeding abundantly above all that Ave ask 
or think." Eph. 3 : 20. You see He is 
able to grant all that you can ask in that 
line. Shall we doubt His willingness? 
See then what Jesus Christ says : " If ye 
then being evil know how to give good 
gifts to your children, how much more 
shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy 
Spirit to them that ask Him." Luke 11 : 
13. 

Now since we see that God shows 
that He is both able and willing to cleanse 
us from our sins by complete sanctification, 
it is our duty to accept the cleansing and 
obey the conditions. " If we walk in the 
light, as He is in the light, we have fel- 
lowship one with another, and the blood 
of Jesus His Son cleanseth us from all 
sin." 1 John 1 : 7. What is this condi- 
tion ? We must believe that v?e have re- 
ceived on the evidence of God's word 



SANCTIFICATION. 83 

alone, without waiting for any evidence of 
any feeling. "What things soever ye de- 
sire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive 
them (that ye have received them), and ye 
shall have them/' Matt. 11 : 24. And 
after we have received them, we must re- 
tain them, and to retain them, we must 
confess the possession of the experience at 
every suitable opportunity : " If thou shalt 
confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, 
and shalt believe with thy heart that God 
hath raised Him from the dead, thou 
shalt be saved, for with the heart man be- 
lieveth unto righteousness, and with the 
mouth confession is made unto salvation/' 
Rom. 10:9, 10; and again, "Whosoever 
therefore shall confess me before men, him 
will I confess before my Father which is 
in Heaven." Matt, 10: 32. "Whoso- 
ever therefore shall be ashamed of Me, and 
of My words in this adulterous and sinful 
generation, of him also shall the Son of 



84 HEAVENLY REWARDS. 

man be ashamed, when He cometh in the 
glory of His Father, with the holy 
angels " — Matt. 8 : 38 ; and hear what 
David says : " I will greatly praise the 
Lord with my mouth, yea, I will greatly 
praise Him among the multitude." Psalm 
109: 30. "Come and hear, all ye that 
fear the Lord, and I will declare what He 
hath done for my soul." Psalm 66 : 16. 

Simple Faith. 

The experience of justification and sanc- 
tification is received by naked faith in a 
naked promise. Both come by simply 
believing and asking no questions. The 
moment I begin to try to explain just how 
I can be pardoned faith takes its flight. 
The faith that can take hold of the arm of 
Omnipotence cannot stand*a single moment 
before a how or a why. Sin entered Eve 
just when she listened to the question : 
" Yea hath God said, Ye shall not eat of 



SIMPLE FAITH. 85 

every tree of the garden." She gave room 
for the question in her mind, " Why did 
God forbid that one tree ? " and the enter- 
taining of that question made room for a 
doubt, and that instant faith in the pro- 
priety of God's command was gone. A 
single doubt cannot dwell together with 
implicit faith : they are as incompatible as 
light and darkness. Light represents 
Faith ; where light enters darkness is 
driven out; what light is to the bodily eye, 
faith is to the mental vision. Christ "was 
that true light, which lighteth every man 
that cometh into the world," John 1 : 9, 
and hence Christians "are light in the 
world" and are commanded to "Walk as 
children of the light." Eph. 5:8. " Christ 
loved the church and gave Himself for it, 
that He might sanctify and cleanse it, with 
the washing of water by His word, that 
He might present it to Himself, a glorious 
church, not having spot or wrinkle or any 



86 HE A VENL Y RE WARDS. 

such thing, but that it should be holy 
and without blemish." Eph. 5 : 25-27. 
" Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall 
not receive the kingdom of God as a little 
child, he shall not enter therein." Mark 
10 : 15. "According to your faith be it 
unto you." Matt. 9 : 29. How simply, 
easily, unreservedly does a little child be- 
lieve what you tell it, until it has learned 
that it has been deceived ; so should we ac- 
cept the promises in the word of God until 
we have the experience that God has de- 
ceived us, and that can never be! "For 
all the promises of God in Him are yea, 
and in Him amen, unto the glory of God 
by us." 2 Cor. 1 : 20. 

Perhaps I can make this matter of faith 
(which seems to trouble so many) a little 
clearer, by an extract from the 

Christian's Secret of a Happy Life. 

" Your idea of faith is something like 



CHRISTIAN SECRET OF A HAPPY LIFE. 87 

this : You have looked upon it as some sort 
of a thing, an exercise of the soul, a dis- 
position of the heart, something tangible 
that you can rejoice over, and use as a 
passport to God's favor, or a coin with 
which you can purchase His gifts. Now 
faith is not in the least this sort of a thing. 
It is nothing tangible, it is simply believing 
God, and, like sight, is nothing apart from 
its object. You might as well shut your 
eyes, and look inside to see whether you 
have sight You see something, and thus 
you know you have sight. You believe 
something, and thus you know you have 
faith. For as sight is seeing, so faith is 
simply believing. The virtue lies not in 
believing, but in the thing believed. If 
you believe the truth, you are saved ; if you 
believe a lie, you are lost. The believing 
is the same in both cases ; the things be- 
lieved are exactly opposite. Your salva- 
tion comes not because your faith saves 



88 HE A VENL Y REWARDS, 

you, but because it links you to the Sav- 
iour who saves, and your believing is noth- 
ing but the link." Just as Peter when walk- 
ing on the water, when he saw the wind 
boisterous, began to doubt his ability to 
w T alk, began to sink, then he cried out 
(prayed), " Lord, save me." Immediately 
Jesus stretched out his hand, and caught 
him. Here was faith, first in the command 
that Jesus had bid him "come." This 
failed him, when he saw the wind was 
boisterous and he began to sink, but when 
his faith turned to Jesus, the prayer im- 
mediately brought the answer and he was 
saved. Please notice the extreme simplic- 
ity of faith : it is nothing more nor less than 
simply believing God when He says, He 
has done, or will do something for us. If 
any one asks me what it is to trust another 
to do a piece of work for me, I answer, 
" Letting him do it, and having no thought 
about doing it myself." Every one of us 



CHRISTIAN SECRET OF A HAPPY LIFE. 89 

has had such work done by some one else, 
and has had perfect trust that it would be 
done. Every day we have faith in our 
cook, coachman, conductor, engineer, switch 
tender, or attorney, and just in proportion 
to our faith (confidence in their ability 
and trustworthiness) are we free from care 
and anxiety. Upon the slightest acquain- 
tance, we often put our trust in people, 
requiring only the general knowledge in 
human nature, and we never feel as if we 
were doing anything remarkable. You 
have done all this continually, dear reader. 
You could not go through the routine of a 
single day if you could not trust your 
fellow-men, yet somehow r or other you 
cannot feel to have trust in God (have 
faith in God). You say you cannot under- 
stand what faith is. Is it possible that 
you can trust your fellow-men, and yet 
you cannot trust the Lord ? You can believe 
man's record, the witness of men, and it 



90 HE A VENL Y BE WARDS. 

seems so hard to understand (to believe) 
the witness of God. Do you not begin to 
see that when you commit your dearest 
earthly interests to your fellow-men, what 
it is to have faith in men ? Can you hesi- 
tate to have faith in God, and commit to 
Him any interest you have for time or 
eternity ? Is he not as worthy of your 
confidence, your faith, as any person or 
individual that you can select on this 
whole earth ? 

"Have faith in God, what can there be 
For Him too hard to do for thee ? 
He gave His son, now all is free. 
Have faith, have faith in God ! 
"Have faith thy pardon to believe, 
Let God's own words thy fears relieve ; 
Have faith the Spirit to receive. 
Have faith, have faith in God ! 

11 Have faith in God and trust His might, 
That He will conquer as you light, 
And give the triumph to the right ; 
Have faith, have faith in God ! 



A NOBLEMAN PREACHER. 91 

44 Have faith in God, press near His side, 
Thy troubled soul trust Him to guide ; 
In life, in death, whate'er betide, 
Have faith, have faith in God ! " 

And the very God of peace sanctify you 
wholly, and I pray God your whole spirit, 
soul, and body be preserved blameless unto 
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 
Thess. 5 : 23. 

A Nobleman Preacher. 

I add one more illustration which I 
have seen used before, but it seems very 
appropriate. A certain nobleman who had 
large estates and many tenants, after his 
own conversion had found great joy in 
salvation. In the fullness of that joy he 
wished to infuse it among his tenants. He 
considered it his duty to preach to them. 
The first time he had a large audience, 
likely out of respect to him and probably 
wishing to hear how a nobleman would 



92 HE A VENL Y RE WARDS. 

preach. The second time there was a large 
falling off, and the third time the attend- 
ance was very slim. He resorted to an- 
other method for reaching and convincing 
those who were so indifferent to their 
spiritual interests. He had a notice posted 
that on the next day he would be at his 
office and would pay in full the debts of 
every one who would come between the 
hours of ten and twelve and ask his help 
to meet their indebtedness. He was at 
his office promptly at the appointed hour, 
and though many of his tenants were in 
sight, no one came in during the first hour, 
and the second was half gone when an old 
man came in, half doubting whether the 
duke was in earnest in making his offer, 
for he could not see any reason why he 
should make such a liberal offer, but he 
made out to stammer that he was in debt 
and would be very glad if the duke would 
help him. " Why did you come to me 



A N0BLE3TAN PREACHER. 93 

for help? Do I owe you anything?" 
was the rather cool reply. " Didn't your 
grace state in your notice that you would 
pay the debts of any one who came ask- 
ing help?" "Then you believed what I 
stated ? " " Yes, your grace, I believed 
your promise over your own name." 
" Yes, most readily will I do so because 
you believed my promise," and he received 
a check for the amount of his debt in full. 
The poor man was overjoyed and was 
about to retire with abundant thanks for 
the kindness. The duke began to talk to 
him on religion, thus detaining him, and 
before the last hour was gone two more 
(who had been waiting outside to see the 
result of the first man's application), but 
as he did not come out, they also came in^ 
very doubtful as to what to ask for or what 
to expect, but they had a kind of trust 
that the duke would not go back on his 
word. They also were unable to express 



94 HE A VENL Y REWARDS. 

their thanks on receiving the check for all 
their debts, and, detaining them, went on 
to show them that he had taken this 
method to preach to them the gospel of a 
free salvation, and to show them the na- 
ture of faith, and though the Lord owed 
nothing to His creatures but love, just as 
I am not in debt to any of you, yet I 
have offered to pay your debts whenever 
you believe my word. You have come 
in, trusting to my truthfulness, that I 
really meant what I had published in my 
notice. Just so, the Lord has promised to 
forgive your sins if you will believe His 
word and honestly ask Him to do it. And 
more, He has promised eternal salvation 
on just those easy terms. But all those 
men outside stand waiting to see what suc- 
cess you have, and when they find out that 
I have been true to you they will come in 
and propose that I do the same for their 
debts; but see, it is now r past twelve 



A NOBLEMAN PREACHER. 95 

o'clock, and the time is past. Since they 
did not exactly believe what I had pub- 
lished, but wanted some other evidence 
than my published offer, I cannot help 
them. I am sorry that they did not be- 
lieve my promise and cheerfully accept it. 
It makes me feel sorry that my own tenants 
did not heartily believe my word. They 
may have believed in a general way that 
I w r as able to pay their debts, but they saw 
no reason why I should thus propose. 
They hesitated, they doubted, but when 
you go out and they see the checks on the 
bank, they will come in, but I must say, 
' It is too late/ My offer was from ten to 
twelve o'clock. Since they have not ac- 
cepted my offer on the terms proposed, I 
think this the best w T ay to show them what 
is faith in God, and that it is not best to 
postpone when God says, ( Now is the ac- 
cepted time, now is the day of salvation.' " 



96 HE A VENL Y BE WA EDS. 

Believe and Accept. 

Now I take it for granted that since you 
have read thus far you have come to the 
determination to aim for one of the higher 
prizes ; that if you have not hitherto ac- 
cepted the offer of salvation, that the 
Saviour makes to you so free, so full ; par- 
don, complete pardon for all your past of- 
fences, that you will come now. Never 
mind how great they have been, not stop- 
ping to think for one instant or to remem- 
ber how low you have fallen in the past, 
for you have seen how he is able to save 
to the uttermost all that come to him. 

May I now take it for granted that you 
now believe that He is able to save, that 
He is willing to save you, and that He 
promises to cleanse you from your past 
sins, from all your past defilement, and 
that you accept this salvation, this sancti- 
fication, and that you determine from 
henceforth, to take this Jesus Christ as 



TAKE THE BIBLE AS YOUR GUIDE. 97 

your Saviour and to follow Him as your 
captain, your leader, your guide, and your 
everlasting portion. 

Take the Bible as Your Guide. 

You ask, " What next ? " Take the Bible 
as your guide book, study its precepts, prac- 
tise its teachings, and be willing to confess 
that you are a believer in the God of the 
Bible, and in the Christ of Revelation as 
your Saviour, not only from the penalty of 
sin, but your Saviour from sin, and to keep 
you from sinning. Not but that you may 
be tempted to do wrong, and it is possible 
that you may fall ; yet if you will by fre- 
quent reading of God's word and by 
keeping its precepts in your heart, and by 
taking heed to that monitor God has 
placed in your breast, and though in the 
past you have fallen grievously time 
and again, even though you may find it 
hard to resist these temptations, yet re- 



98 BEA VENL Y REWARDS. 

member that the Captain of your Salvation 
is near at hand, and always ready to 
answer, to even the faintest call for help, 
whenever it comes from a sincere heart. 
Pray to Him. Keep as much as possible 
out of the way of temptation. " Enter 
not into the path of the wicked, and go 
not iu the way of evil men. Avoid it, 
pass not by it, turn from it and pass 
away." Prov. 4 : 13, 14. Pray to the 
Saviour to keep you from falling into 
temptation, not forgetting that it would 
be but mockery to pray, "Lead us not 
into temptation," and then deliberately go 
(into the way of evil men), "or walk, or 
sit in the seat of the scorner." Such 
actions w r ould only insure defeat. While 
just in proportion as you put your trust, 
your confidence in His loving kindness, 
will you find Him ever ready to help and 
deliver, to guide, and keep and bring you 
safe home. 



STUDY THE GUIDE BOOK. 99 

Study the Guide Book. 

Now having enlisted under the banner 
of the cross, and vowed allegiance to the 
Captain of our Salvation, would it not be 
well to refer to the Law Book to inquire 
after the rules that lead to victory ? And 
for some of the first general principles, 
look at the 3d chap, of Col. 1-17. "If 
ye then be risen with Christ, seek those 
things that are above, where Christ sitteth 
at the right hand of God. Set your affec- 
tions on things above, and not on the 
things on the earth. For ye are dead, and 
your life is hid with Christ in God. 
When Christ who is your life shall appear, 
then shall ye also appear with Him in 
glory. Mortify therefore your members 
which are on the earth ; fornication, un- 
cleanness, inordinate affections, evil con- 
cupiscence, and covetousness, which is 
idolatry ; for which things' sake, the wrath 
of God cometh on the children of dis- 



100 HEAVENLY REWARDS. 

obedience : in the which ye walked some- 
times, when ye lived in them. But now ye 
also put off all these ; anger, wrath, malice, 
blasphemy, filthy- communication out of 
your mouth. Lie not one to another, 
seeing ye have put off the old man with 
his deeds ; and have put on the new man 
which is renewed in knowledge after the 
image of Him that created him : where 
there is neither Greek nor Jew, circum- 
cision nor uncircumcision. But Christ is 
all, and in all. Put on therefore as the 
elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of 
mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, 
meekness, long suffering, forbearing one 
another, forgiving one another (if any 
man have a quarrel against any one), even 
as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 
Above all things put on charity (love), 
which is the bond of perfectness. And let 
the peace of God rule in your hearts, to 
the which also ye are called in one body, 



LOVE. 101 

and be ye thankful. Let the word of 

Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdom, 

teaching and admonishing one another in 

psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, 

singing with grace in your hearts to the 

Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or 

deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, 

giving thanks to God and the Father by 

Him." 

Love, 

And, again, see Gal. 5 : 14-25, " For all 
the law is fulfilled in one word, even in 
this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy- 
self, for if ye bite and devour one another, 
take heed that ye be not consumed one of 
another. This I say then, Walk in the 
Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of 
the flesh, for the flesh lusteth against the 
spirit, and the spirit against the flesh ; 
these are contrary one to the other, so that 
ye cannot do the things that ye would, but 
if ye be led by the spirit, ye are not under 



102 HE A VENL Y RE WARDS. 

the law. Now, the works of the flesh are 
manifest, which are these : adultery, for- 
nication, lasciviousness, witchcraft, hatred, 
variance, emulations, wrath, strife, sedi- 
tions, heresy, envyings, murders, drunken- 
ness, revellingsand such like, of the which 
I tell you before, as I have told you in 
time past, that they which do such things 
shall not inherit the kingdom of God ; 
but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, 
peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness 
and faith, meekness and temperance. 
Against such there is no law, and they 
that are Christ's have crucified the flesh 
with the affections and lusts. If we live 
in the Spirit, let us walk in the Spirit." 

Liove, the Sum of the Commandments. 

Now, since we are urged above all 
things to put on Charity (love), let us ex- 
amine this principle of love. God has 
proclaimed himself as u love " (Love per- 



SUM OF THE COMMANDMENTS. 103 

sonified). That is, His character, His es- 
sence, " God is Love/' and His Son Jesus 
Christ summed up His whole law in this 
one word " Love." " Thou shalt love the 
Lord with all thy heart, soul, mind and 
strength, and thou shalt love thy neighbor 
as thyself." Let us see how the apostle 
Paul explains what is meant, what is in- 
cluded in this term, Love. First he 
names some gifts, some qualifications which 
a person may profess, and yet be lacking 
in this great qualification. See the 13th 
chapter of 1 Corinthians, 1-7 verses, 
where he describes the more excellent way. 
" Though I speak with the tongues of 
men and of angels, and have not charity 
(love), I am become as sounding brass or 
a tinkling cymbal. And though I have 
the gift of prophecy (such as Balaam had 
as noted in 23d and 24th chapters of 
Numbers), and understand all mysteries, 
and all knowledge, and though I have all 



104 HEA VENLY REWARDS. 

faith, so that I could remove mountains, 
and have not love, I am nothing. And 
though I bestow all my goods to feed the 
poor, aud though I give my body to be 
burned, it profiteth me nothing. Charity 
suffereth long, (will bear contumely, re- 
proaches, shame, and even stripes), and is 
kind, (it meets abuse with meekness and 
gives kindness in return for slander). 
Love envieth not, (does not have better 
feelings at the success or prosperity of 
another). Vaunteth not itself, (does not 
parade its own doings for the praise of the 
world). Is not puffed up, (does not mag- 
nify its accomplishments and possessions 
to awaken envy in the minds of others). 
Does not behave itself unseemly, (accom- 
modates itself to circumstances, or as Paul 
says, is all things to all men that he might 
gain some). Seeketh not her own, (is 
equally as desirous for a neighbor's pros- 
perity and success as her own). Is not 



SUM OF TEE COMMANDMENTS. 105 

easily provoked, ("does not take offence, 
and is unwilling to believe that an offence 
was intended, if it is possible to attribute 
a good motive to any action). Thinketh 
no evil, (but would rather think a kind- 
ness was intended than harm). Rejoiceth 
not in iniquity, (even though iniquity is 
prospered, and though bad laws are passed, 
and bad men flourish). But rejoiceth in 
the truth, (is glad to see truth and right- 
eousness abroad, though they do not always 
succeed). Beareth all things, (can submit 
to slander or reproach, or persecution when 
in the cause of right). Believeth all things, 
(is much more willing to think well of 
another, than to suspect one of falsehood). 
Hopeth ail things, (wishes and prays for 
blessings on others). Endureth all things," 
(worketh steadily on through evil as well 
as good report, and does not stop though 
success does not follow ; but, committing the 
cause to the Lord, who knows the end from 



106 HEAVENLY REWARDS. 

the beginning, works right along while the 
day lasts). 

What Will the Harvest Be? 

Here we have another word of caution 
and encouragement in Gal. 6 : 7-9 : " Be 
not deceived, God is not mocked, for what- 
soever a man soweth, that shall he also 
reap, for he that soweth to the flesh, shall 
of the flesh reap corruption, but he that 
soweth to the Spirit, shall of the Spirit 
reap life everlasting, and let us not be 
weary in well doing, for in due season we 
shall reap if we faint not." 

Put on the Armor. 

And now since the battle is before us we 
should be properly prepared, and panoplied 
for the fight. Let us examine the armor 
that the King has furnished for all His 
soldiers, and which He supplies free of 
cost, and put it on as described in Eph. 6 : 



PUT ON THE ARMOR. 107 

10-18 : "Finally, my brethren, be strong 
in the Lord, and in the power of his 
might. Put on the whole armor of God, 
that ye may be able to stand against the 
wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not 
against flesh and blood, but against prin- 
cipalities, against powers, against the rulers 
of the darkness of this world, against 
spiritual wickedness in high places. 
Wherefore take unto you the whole armor 
of God, that ye may be able to withstand 
in the evil day, and having done all to 
stand. Stand therefore, having your loins 
girt about with truth, having on the breast- 
plate of righteousness, and your feet shod 
with the preparation of the gospel of peace. 
Above all taking the shield of faith, where- 
with ye shall be able to quench all the 
fiery darts of the wicked, and taking the 
helmet of salvation, and the sword of the 
Spirit, which is the word of God (the gos- 
pel of Jesus Christ). Praying with all 



108 HE A VENL Y RE WA EDS. 

prayer and supplication of the Spirit, and 
watching thereunto with all perseverance, 
and supplication for all saints." 

Hurrah for the Victory ! 

Here we have instruction on another 
line ; see Phil. 4 : 4-8. An additional 
encouragement as though we should cele- 
brate our victory. In fact, that is just 
what we are commanded to do. And why 
should we not ? Because — 

Our enlistment is so -easy : just believe 
on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt 
be saved. 

Our payments prompt and daily. 

Our provision supplied without our 
care. 

Our Captain has conquered the enemy 
before-hand. 1 Cor. 15 : 57. 

Reinforcements always within call. 

Reward at the close ) abundant and 
eternal. 



HURRAH FOR THE VICTORY! 109 

"Rejoice in the Lord." Why should we 
rejoice? 

Because we have such a grand campaign 
before us. 

Such a glorious victory assured us. 

Such a mighty Captain to lead us. 

Such a Holy Comforter to guide us. 

Such an omnipotent and loving Father 
to receive, welcome and reward us. 

And such a glorious and eternal home 
for us to enjoy. Therefore are we com- 
manded to " Rejoice always, and again I 
say unto you Rejoice." 

Living as I do in the city, and meet- 
ing such an anxious, striving, careworn 
crowd, and thinking how rarely I look 
upon a countenance beaming with joy, 
the question arises in one's mind, Is it a 
necessity in life that we shall all be so 
care-ridden, so consumed with anxiety, 
that we are not left one moment of joy, 
one hour of supreme happiness ? 



1 10 HE A VENL Y RE WA EDS. 

Are we who seem to be the creat- 
ures of circumstances, who are so ut- 
terly unable to provide against sur- 
rounding accidents, who cannot fortify 
ourselves against a single contingency, 
who cannot see one moment beyond the 
present, shall we continue to worry our- 
selves because of the future ? Is there no 
such command as Peter prescribes, " Cast- 
ing all your care upon Him, for He careth 
for you " — 1 Pet. 5 : 7 ; or is that other one 
obsolete— Phil. 4 : 6, 7 : " Be careful for 
nothing, but in everything, by prayer and 
supplication with thanksgiving, let your 
request be made known unto God, and the 
peace of God which passeth all under- 
standing shall keep your hearts and minds 
through Christ Jesus." It certainly is no 
small part of the Christian's life, to show 
in his own face the happy expression of 
one who has the assurance that his sins 
are forgiven, that his existence and subsist- 



HURRAH FOR THE VICTORY! Ill 

ence here are guaranteed him, just as long 
as is best for him, and after that, an inheri- 
tance of glory awaits him. Therefore do 
I think that it is equally the object of this 
little book to spread this joy to all its 
readers. For that reason, I repeat the 
command, " Rejoice always, and again I 
say Rejoice ! Let your moderation be 
known to all men ! The Lord is at hand ! 
Be careful for nothing, but in everything 
by prayer and supplication, with thanks- 
giving, let your request be made known 
unto God, and the peace of God which 
passeth all understanding, shall keep your 
hearts and minds, through Christ Jesus." 
" Finally, Brethren, whatsoever things are 
true, Whatsoever things are honest, What- 
soever things are just, Whatsoever things 
are pure, Whatsoever things are of good 
report, if there be any virtue, if there be 
any praise, think on these things." 

" Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceas- 



1 1 2 HE A VENL Y RE WA EDS. 

ing. In everything give thanks, for this 
is the will of God in Christ Jesus con- 
cerning you. Quench not the Spirit. 
Despise not prophesyings. Prove all 
things. Hold fast that which is good. 
Abstain from all appearance of evil. And 
the very God of Peace sanctify you 
wholly, and I pray God your whole spirit, 
and soul, and body, be preserved blameless 
unto the corning of our Lord Jesus Christ." 
1 Thess. 5 : 16-23. "Be not overcome of 
evil, but overcome evil with good/' Rom. 
12 :21. 

In this campaign upon which we have 
entered, we must overcome, or be over- 
come. Victors or vanquished, we must stand 
when the rewards are distributed, crowned 
or conquered, in that great day which is 
drawing near. If we do not overcome, 
we not only receive no reward whatever, 
but we forfeit forever that favor of God 
we now enjoy, and with His frown resting 



HURRAH FOR THE VICTORY! 113 

upon us as reprobate, must endure His 
wrath and curse forever. 

For God has given to every one the 
means, the ability, the opportunity to over- 
come. The evil that is within us, and 
that is without us, may both be surely 
overcome with the abounding good. 

You need not reluctantly approach that 
great assize, a defeated, overcome contest- 
ant, carrying in your sorrowful heart and 
sad countenance, the confession of failure 
in life's conflict ; but with a glad heart, a 
joyful countenance, a fearless step and a 
ringing Hosanna, as a victor on life's great 
battle-field. 

The weapons in this conflict are not 
carnal, but spiritual, and mighty through 
God, and they who use them must come 
off conquerors and more than conquerors 
through Him that loves them. Make use 
of the good which God gives so abun- 
dantly, and it will ensure victory. The 



114 HEA VENL Y REWARDS. 

severer the conflict, the sharper the battle, 

the clearer the victory, the brighter the 

crown, and the more glorious the reward. 

Make use of every opportunity to do good. 

Subsidize the good wherever you find it. 

It is a gift which we cannot afford to 

neglect in life's conflict, for the privilege 

is given us by the Almighty God, and 

partakes of His nature, and in the end 

must be triumphant, and place a radiant 

crown on everv victor's brow, more or less 

brilliant, according to the excellency of his 

work. 

A Warning*. 

Just here, permit me to give you a word 
of warning;, as you sail on the vovage of 
life, to steer clear of three dangerous rocks, 
against which many a bark, well built and 
tall, has been dashed to its eternal loss, many 
an otherwise lovely character has been 
utterly destroyed. 



ANOTHER DANGEROUS ROCK. 115 

Beware of Intemperance. 

The most obvious one is intemperance. 
The votary, beginning with the wine cup, 
or the mug of beer, has been caught on 
the edge of the whirlpool where the sailing 
seemed most delightful, unmindful that he 
was being drawn imperceptibly, but ir- 
resistibly, nearer and nearer to the awful 
abyss, until being caught in the vortex, 
his final struggles for escape were futile, 
and the misguided victim w 7 ent down to 
eternal death, for "neither thieves, nor 
covetous, nor drunkards, shall inherit the 
kingdom of God." 1 Cor. 6 : 10. 

Another Dangerous Kock 

is the tobacco habit, which seems to be 
so astonishingly on the increase, and most 
sad to consider is the fact, that boys of ten 
and twelve years are its victims. Strange 
that the use of so nauseous a weed, which 
at the first is so disgusting, imparting 



116 EEA VENL Y BEWARDS. 

neither nutriment nor strength, should so 
enchain its victim, so that its use becomes 
indispensable, and while its devotees claim 
for it neither healthfulness, strength-im- 
parting nor mind-improving properties, 
while the most elaborate tests have de- 
monstrated its hurtfulness, and as it so 
often leads to the use of intoxicating 
drinks, it seems in its filthy and polluting 
tendency to come under the ban of which 
Paul speaks in 1 Cor. 3 : 16, 17 : " Know 
ye not that ye are the temple of God, and 
that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you ? 
And if any man defile the temple of God, 
him shall God destroy, for the temple of 
God is Holy, which temple ye are." 

A Third Dangerous Reef. 

A third dangerous vice (for I can call 
it by no other name, when in the Holy 
Bible it is put at the head of a long list) 
of which I warn you, is selfishness. See 



A THIRD DANGEROUS REEF. 117 

2 Tim. 3:1-5: " This know also, that in 
the last days, perilous times shall come, for 
men shall be lovers of their own selves, 
covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, 
disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 
without natural affection, truce breakers, 
false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers 
of those that are good, traitors, heady, 
high minded, lovers of pleasures more 
than lovers of God, having the form of 
Godliness, but denying the power thereof: 
from such turn away." 

So you see this, which is put at the head 
of these offensive characteristics (as though, 
it were the root and inspiring cause of so 
much vileness) is to be avoided, and in its 
stead we are to cultivate the opposite. 
" If ye fulfil the royal law, according to 
the scriptures, thou shalt love thy neighbor 
as thyself, ye do well." Jas. 2 : 8. 

Nor is it strange that in proportion, as 
we obey this law of His, we do increase 



118 HEA VENL Y REWARDS. 

our own happiness, and instead of confin- 
ing our love to our own individual selves 
and families, we let it go out to others, 
thus manifesting that we believe our neigh- 
bors to have an equal interest with our- 
selves, when we pray to our u Father in 
Heaven, that His kingdom may come/' 
And just in proportion as we subtract 
from our perishable accumulations for the 
benefit of others, do we enlarge our endur- 
ing investments, in those possessions that 
cannot be spoiled by moth and rust, and 
of which no thief or envious one can 
possibly dispossess us, for did not He 
whose chief attribute is Love, create us for 
that specific purpose, that we should "love 
one another " even as He loved us ? 

"As He Loved Us." 

Look at it, my dear reader, consider the 
nature of this command. Open your Bi- 
blej and turn to 15th chapter of John, 



"AS HE LOVED US." 119 

and read what the blessed Jesus says, in 
His last long comforting talk to His disci- 
ples, when He began with " Let not your 
heart be troubled, ye believe in God, be- 
lieve also in me." See vs. 11-13. " These 
things have I spoken unto you, that my 
joy might remain in you, and that your 
joy might be full. This is my command- 
ment that ye love one another, as I have 
loved you." (Then He explains how much 
He loved us.) " Greater love hath no man 
than this, that a man lay down his life for 
his friends." 

Does not this enlarge very materially 
our ideas of our duty towards our neigh- 
bors? — our privilege of love to those 
around us? for it is a privilege to follow 
in the footsteps of the Lord of Glory, and 
while we may not be able to love in degree 
equal to His toward us, yet we may aim 
that it shall be of the same nature — a self- 
sacrificing kind. That we shall love re- 



1 20 HE A VENL Y BE WARDS. 

gardless of merit, going out to those, not be- 
cause they are worthy of our love, but be- 
cause of their need, for He loved us while 
we were enemies and sinners. We should 
not wish to limit the tokens of our love to 
that which costs us nothing, but give our- 
selves in the fullness of that love which is 
of the same hind as that with which He 
loved us. " Beloved, let us love one 
another, for love is of God, and every one 
that loveth is born of God, and knoweth 
God, for God is Love." 1 John 4 : 7. 



AN ESPECIAL BLESSING. 

The Gathering* of His Jewels by the 
Lord of Hosts. 

I cannot stop till I have set before you 
an especial blessing, of which the Lord 
has left us a promise by the mouth of the 
last prophet of the Old Testament, which 
you will find in Mai. 3 : 16, 17. " Then » 
(referring to a certain time in the future) 
"they that feared the Lord, spake often 
one to another, and the Lord hearkened, 
and heard, and a book of remembrance 
was written before Him, for them that 
feared the Lord, and that thought upon 
His name. And they shall be mine, saith 
the Lord of Hosts, in that day when I 
make up my jewels, and I will spare them 
as a man spareth his son that serveth him. 
Then shall ye return and discern between 
the righteous and the wicked, between him 
that serveth God and him that serveth 

(121) 



122 HEAVENLY REWARDS. 

him not." A time would come when it 
would be an unusual thing for men to talk 
together about heavenly matters. Is that 
not the case just now? But the text says 
the Lord hearkened and noted them in 
His book of remembrance, and they shall 
be among His jewels. The Holy Spirit 
in that place does not tell us exactly what 
that blessing shall be, but we are led to 
expect something wonderful. " They shall 
be mine." To be claimed by the King as 
His own, when He gathers them out from 
the world, from among the worldly ones. 

Perhaps we can get some light from 
another passage, see Rev. 3 : 10. He says: 
" Because thou hast kept the word of my 
patience, I will also keep thee from the 
hour of temptation (trial) that shall come 
upon all the world to try them that dwell 
upon the earth." Times of trial, to try 
men's souls — described by Christ in Matt. 
24 : 21. "For then shall be great tribula- 



AN ESPECIAL BLESSING. 123 

tion such as was not since the beginning of 
the world to this time, no, nor ever shall 
be." See similar passage in Mark 13:19, 
20. In the 6th chapter of Revelation we 
have an outline of these troublous times 
under the figures of four horses. First a 
white horse (Jesus Christ the rider who 
has the crown) " going forth conquering 
and to conquer," followed by a red horse, 
and his rider representing War. Behind 
him was a black horse, representing Famine, 
and still another pale horse representing 
Pestilence, followed by Death and Hell. 
"And power was given them over the 
fourth part of the earth, to kill with the 
sword and with hunger and with death 
and with the beasts of the earth." Rev. 6 : 
8. Think of this. That these things 
shall afflict the fourth part of mankind is 
not a pleasant picture to look upon, yet 
since the Lord has revealed it to us, and it 
will not benefit us to refuse to consider, and 



124 HEAVENLY REWARDS. 

believe it, but in view of the promise to 
bless those " who read and keep the say- 
ing," so that we shall not be among those 
who, to escape these troubles, unite them- 
selves into a great prayer meeting, as de- 
scribed in the 16th verse, which " said to 
the rocks and the mountains, Fall on us 
and hide us from the face of Him who 
sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath 
of the Lamb." 

It will avail us nothing if we refuse 
to read about them or to believe them. 
Jesus Christ prophesied of them, and 
revealed them to His beloved disciple 
that we might be warned to prepare for 
them. But how shall we prepare? See 
Luke 21 : 36 : " Watch ye therefore and 
pray always, that ye may be accounted 
worthy to escape those things that shall 
come to pass, and to stand before the Son 
of man." These are the negative bless- 
ings, but what are the positive ? The 



AN ESPECIAL BLESSING. 125 

making up, the gathering together of His 
jewels. First, Christ's coming. Note 
His promise. " I will not leave you 
comfortless, I will come to you" John 14 : 
18; and in another place, " I go to prepare 
a place for you, and if I go and prepare a 
place for you I will come again and receive 
you to myself, that where I am, there ye 
may be also/' John 14 : 3. Then when 
His disciples had witnessed His ascension 
into Heaven, from the Mount of Olives, 
and stood lost in amazement, and filled 
with grief at the loss of their beloved 
leader and friend, they were assured by 
angels that u this same Jesus which is 
taken up from you into Heaven, shall so 
come in like manner as ye have seen Him 
go into Heaven." Acts 1:11. We have 
the promise that the Saviour will return 
and take His beloved followers home to 
Himself. Let us inquire when shall 
this be. 



126 HE A VENL Y RE WA RDS. 

Shall it be at the general judgment, 
when "He shall sit on the throne of His 
glory, and all nations shall be gathered 
before Him ? AVhen He shall separate 
them one from another as a shepherd 
divideth his sheep from the goats." Matt. 
25 : 31, 32. No, not then, for that shall 
be at the end of the world, when the dead, 
small and great, stand before God. "And 
the earth and Heaven fled away, and they 
were judged out of those things written in 
the books." Eev. 20 : 12. Nor is that the 
time, because all these have passed through 
all the trials and troubles with all the 
others on the earth. It must be some 
other time. Xor will it be when they 
shall see the "Son of man coming in the 
clouds, with power and great glory, and 
then shall He send His angels, and they 
shall gather His elect from the uttermost 
part of the earth, to the uttermost part of 
Heaven," Matt. 13 : 26, 27, because that is 






AN ESPECIAL BLESSING. 127 

after the tribulation — see preceding verse 
24. But it is a certain time which His 
followers are waiting for : see 1 Cor. 1:7,8. 
" So that ye come behind in no gift ; waiting 
for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
who shall confirm you to the end that ye 
may be blameless in the day of our Lord 
Jesus Christ." There is a resurrection 
that Paul was aiming to reach. " If by 
any means I might attain unto the resur- 
rection of the dead," Phil. 3:11 (which 
ought to have been translated, " the resur- 
rection from among the dead "), as inti- 
mated in Col. 3 : 3, 4 : " For ye are dead 
and your life is hid with Christ in God. 
When Christ who is our life shall appear, 
then shall ye also appear with Him in 
glory." Still we have not found the 
direct answer to the question, How are 
these saints to be kept from this hour of 
temptation, which shall come on all the 
world ? In reply, we say, They are to be 



128 HEAVENLY REWARDS. 

taken up out of this world, just as Enoch 
of the antediluvian world, was taken up so 
that he did not die, nor was he drowned in 
the deluge. "And Enoch walked with 
God, and he was not, for God took him." 
Gen. 5 : 24. What does that mean? 
Turn to Heb. 11:5: "By faith Enoch 
was translated that he should not see 
death, and was not found, because he was 
translated (carried over, or carried beyond, 
referring to the flood), for before his trans- 
lation he had this testimony that he pleased 
God." Thus we have Enoch of the old 
world, a saint that pleased God. " He 
walked with God," a type of those saints 
who in the present generation are walking 
with God, who shall also be taken up to 
be with Him. Christ has been on the 
earth to suffer on the cross. " So Christ 
was once offered to bear the sins of many, 
and unto them that look for Him, shall He 
appear a second time without sin unto 



AN ESPECIAL BLESSING. 129 

salvation." Heb. 9 : 28. The details of 
this second appearance are more fully 
given in 1 Thess. 4 : 13-17 : " For I would 
not have you ignorant, brethren, concern- 
ing them which are asleep, that ye sorrow 
not as others which have no hope. For 
if we believe that Jesus died and rose 
again, even so them also which sleep 
in Jesus, will God bring with Him. For 
this we say unto you by the word of the 
Lord, that we which are alive, and remain 
unto the coming of the Lord, shall not 
prevent them which are asleep, for the 
Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven 
with a shout, with the voice of the arch- 
angel, and with the trump of God, and 
the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then 
we which are alive and remain shall be 
caught up together with them, in the 
clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, so 
shall we ever be with the Lord." This 
is what is called "The Rapture of the 



130 HE A VENL Y REWARDS. 

Saints " — the gathering together, the 
" making up of His jewels." There is a 
remarkable passage in Luke 17:34-36: 
" I tell you in that night there shall be 
two in one bed, one shall be taken and the 
other shall be left. Two shall be grind- 
ing together, one shall be taken, and the 
other shall be left. Two shall be in the 
field, one shall be taken, and the other 
shall be left," and a corresponding passage 
in Matt. 24:40,41, which cannot be 
intended to refer to natural death, but fits 
exactly to this rapture of the saints when 
at one instant of time, from all parts of 
the world, Jesus Christ shall suddenly 
take away from this natural life, His 
earnest loving children, His jewels, who 
have been looking, and waiting for Him. 
This will happen before those troublous 
times that Christ promised to keep those 
from, who kept the word of His patience. 



A DISTINCTION— TWO COMINGS. 131 

A Distinction — Two Comings. 

Please notice the distinction. As above, 
Christ comes for His saints. There is 
another coming mentioned when He comes 
with His saints : " Stablish your hearts, 
unblamable in holiness before God, even 
our Father, at the coming of our Lord 
Jesus Christ with all His saints." 1 Thess. 
3 : 13. And again in Jude, verse 14 : 
"And Enoch prophesied of these sayings, 
Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousand 
of His saints, to execute judgment upon 
all." 

The rapture and the revelation are two 
distinct events. The first of great com- 
fort to the true believer who is looking for 
the Saviour. 

The revelation of Christ with His saints, 
"to execute judgment upon all and to 
convince all that are ungodly among them, 
of all their ungodly deeds, which they have 
ungodly committed, and of their hard 



132 HEA VENL Y REWARDS. 

speeches which ungodly sinners have 
spoken against Him " — Jude 15 — is a sub- 
ject full of solemnity to all who disbe- 
lieve. 

We may Expect this Rapture at Any 

Moment. 

Just here let me remark that this com- 
ing of our blessed Jesus for His saints, and 
His taking up of His jewels to Himself is 
now very imminent. Many of the most 
active workers in the religious world, 
whose usefulness is felt through two con- 
tinents, are firmly of the belief that there is 
nothing in prophecy that remains to be 
fulfilled before that important day may be 
ushered in. And, so far as we can perceive, 
this rapture of the saints may take place 
at any moment, and will strike the busy 
world, like a thunderbolt from a clear sky. 
Just as Christ describes it, "For as the 
lightning cometh out of the east, and 



RAPTURE. 133 

shineth even unto the west, so shall the 
coming of the Son of man be. For where- 
soever the carcass is, there will the eagles 
be gathered together." Matt. 24 : 26. 
Please note the parallel passage in Luke 
17:37: "And they answered, and said 
unto Him, Where, Lord? and He said 
unto them, Wheresoever the body is, 
there will the eagles be gathered to- 
gether." 

Please note the key which the careful 
reader will perceive, unlocks the meaning 
of the passage. In Matt, the Greek word 
(ptoma, carcass) is used, referring to the 
body of Christ which " was dead" and in 
Luke the Greek word (soma, body), refer- 
ring to the living body of Christ, pointing 
to Jesus Christ as the object to which the 
risen (as well as the translated) saints shall 
be attracted as they ascend from the earth, 
as described in 1 Thess. 4 : 1 7 : " The dead 
in Christ shall rise first. Then we which 



134 HEA VENL Y REWARDS. 

are alive, and remain, shall be caught up 
together with them in the clouds, to meet 
the Lord in the air, and so shall we be 
ever with the Lord." The word "eagles" 
refers to the passage in Isa. 40 : 31 : " But 
they that wait on the Lord shall renew 
their strength, they shall mount up with 
wings as eagles, they shall run, and not be 
weary, they shall walk, and not faint," 
referring to the risen saints. See also 
1 Cor. 15 : 51-54: "Behold I shew you a 
mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we 
shall be changed. In a moment, in the 
twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, for 
the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall 
be raised incorruptible, and we shall be 
changed. For this corruptible must put 
on incorruption, and this mortal must put 
on immortality. So when this corruptible 
shall have put on incorruption, and this 
mortal shall have put on immortality, then 
shall be brought to pass the saying : Death 



RAPTURE. 135 

is swallowed up in victory ; O death, where 
is thy sting? O grave, where is thy vic- 
tory?" 

But what shall I say more, dear reader ? 
I have spread before you the various 
degrees of reward offered by the Lord 
Himself, pleading for you to hear and 
choose, and, besides all this, I have here 
showed you this " Special Blessing " to be 
gathered among His jewels, and of some 
w r ho will be taken up to be with the Lord, 
and to receive that crown which Paul 
expects to receive when he exclaims in 2 
Tim. 4 : 7, 8, "I have fought a good fight, 
I have finished my course, I have kept 
the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for 
me a crown of righteousness, which the 
Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me at 
that day, and not to me only, but to all 
them that love His appearing." "Be 
patient , therefore, for the coming of the 
Lord draweth nigh." Jas. 5:8. " That 



136 HEAVENLY REWARDS. 

the trial of your faith, being much more 

precious than gold which perisheth, might 

be found unto praise and honor and glory 

at the appearing of Jesus Christ." 1 Pet. 

1:7. " Beloved, now are we the sons of 

God, and it doth not yet appear what we 

shall be, but we know that when He shall 

appear we shall be like Him, for we shall 

see Him as He is. And every man that 

hath this hope purifieth himself even as 

He is pure." 1 John 3:2. " Know ye 

not that ye are the temple of God, and 

that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you ? 

If any man defile the temple of God, him 

shall God destroy, for the temple of God 

is holy, which temple ye are." 1 Cor. 3 : 

16, 17. 

Its Practical Benefits. 

You ask, " What is the design of this 
teaching? What is there practical in 
this doctrine? How will it act on our 
lives, and in what respect ? In other words, 



ITS PRACTICAL BENEFITS. 137 

will it add to our happiness? Will it 
make us more useful, more spiritual, than 
if we believed that we were to live our 
lives till death should lay us under the 
sod and our spirits return to God who 
gave them ? " 

In reply allow me to call your attention 
to a few passages which were collected in 
a little work entitled " Jesus is Coming," 
and you will be surprised to know to what 
an extent it touches our whole life and 
conduct. 

The first grand thought it tends to is 
Watchfulness. " Watch, therefore, for 
you know not what hour your Lord doth 
come ; but know this, that if the goodman 
of the house had known in what watch 
the thief would come, he would have 
watched, and would not have suffered his 
house to be broken up. Therefore be ye 
also ready, for in such an hour as ye think 
not, the Son of man cometh" Matt. 24 ; 



138 HEAVENLY REWARDS, 

42-44. " But of that day and that hour 
knoweth no man, no, not the angels that 
are in heaven, neither the Son, but the 
Father." Mark 13:32, 33. 

It tends to Sobriety. "For your- 
selves know perfectly that the day of the 
Lord so cometh, as a thief in the night. 
For when they shall say, Peace and safety, 
then sudden destruction cometh upon them, 
as travail upon a woman with child, and 
they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, 
are not in darkness, that that day should 
overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the 
children of the light, and the children of 
the day. We are not of the night, nor of 
darkness. Therefore let us not sleep as 
do others, but let us vmtch and be sober" 
1 Thess. 5:2-6. " Wherefore gird up 
the loins of your mind, be sober and hope 
to the end, for the grace that is brought 
unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ" 
1 Pet, 1:13. * But the end of all things 



ITS PRACTICAL BENEFITS, 139 

is at hand : be ye therefore sober and watch 
unto prayer." 1 Pet. 4:7. " Be sober, 
be vigilant, because your adversary, as a 
roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom 
he may devour." 1 Pet. 5 : 8. 

It Teaches us Fidelity. " So he that 
had received five talents, came and brought 
other five talents, saying, Lord, thou de- 
liveredst unto me five talents, behold I 
have gained beside them five talents more. 
His lord said unto him, Well done, thou 
good and faithful servant, thou hast been 
faithful over a few things, I will make 
thee ruler over many things ; enter thou 
into the joy of thy lord." Matt. 25 : 19- 
21. "And the Lord said, Who then is 
that faithful and wise steward, whom his 
lord shall make ruler over his household, 
to give them their portion of meat in due 
season ? Blessed is that servant, whom his 
lord, when he cometh, shall find so doing. 
Of a truth I say unto you, that he will 



140 HE A VENL Y REWARDS. 

make him ruler over all that he hath." 
Luke 12 : 42-44. "He said, therefore, A 
certain nobleman went into a far country 
to receive for himself a kingdom, and to 
return. And he called his ten servants, 
and delivered them ten pounds, and said 
unto them, Occupy till I come." Luke 
19:12, 13. 

Against Woklbliness. " For what is 
a man profited, if he shall gain the whole 
world, and lose his own soul, or what shall 
a man give in exchange for his soul? For 
the Son of man shall come in the glory of 
His Father, with His angels, and then shall 
He reward every man according to his 
works." Matt. 16 : 26, 27. 

Patience. "For ye have need of 
patience, that after ye have done the will 
of God, ye may receive the promise, for 
yet a little while, and he that shall come, 
will come, and will not tarry." Heb. 
10 : 36, 37. " Be patient therefore unto 



ITS PRACTICAL BENEFITS. 141 

the coming of the Lord. Behold the hus- 
bandman waiteth for the precious fruit of 
the earth, and hath long patience for it, 
until he receive the early and latter rain. 
Be ye also patient, stablish your hearts, 
for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh." 
Jas. 5 : 7, 8. 

Sincerity. "And this I pray, that 
your love may abound yet more and more, 
in knowledge and in all judgment. That 
ye may approve things that are excellent, 
that ye may be sincere, and without offence 
till the day of Christ:' Phil. 1 : 9, 10. 

Entire Sanctification. "Abstain 
from all appearance of evil. And the 
very God of peace, sanctify you wholly, 
and I pray God your spirit, soul and 
body be preserved blameless, unto the 
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thess. 
5 : 22, 23. 

To Endure Trials. " That the trial 
of your faith being much more precious 



142 HE A VENL Y REWARDS. 

than of gold that perisheth, though it be 
tried with fire, might be found unto praise 
and honor and glory, at the appearing of 
Jesus Christ^ 1 Pet. 1 : 7. 

To Holy Conversation. "Seeing 
then that all these things shall be dissolved, 
what manner of persons ought ye to be in 
all holy conversation, and godliness, 
looking for, and hasting unto the coming 
of the day of God, wherein the heavens 
being on fire shall be dissolved, and the 
elements shall melt with fervent heat? 
Nevertheless we, according to his promise, 
look for new heavens, and a new earth, 
wherein dwelleth righteousness. Where- 
fore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such 
things, be diligent that ye may be found 
of him in peace, without spot, and blame- 
less:' 2 Pet. 3 : 11-14. 

Our Heavenly Citizenship. " For 
our conversation (citizenship) is in heaven, 
from whence also we look for the Saviour, 



ITS PRACTICAL BENEFITS. 143 

the Lord Jesus Christ : who shall change 
our vile body, that it may be fashioned 
like unto His glorious body, according to 
the working whereby he is able even to 
subdue all things to himself." Phil. 3 : 20, 
21. 

Separation from Worldly Lusts. 
" For the grace of God that bringeth sal- 
vation, hath appeared to all men, teaching 
us that, denying ungodliness, and worldly 
lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, 
and godly in this present world, looking 
for that blessed hope, and the glo?'ious 
appearing of the great God, and our Sav- 
iour the Lord Jesus Christ." Titus 2 : 
11-13. 

The Hope of a Eich Keward. 
" Then answered Peter, Behold we have 
forsaken all, and followed thee : what 
shall we have therefore ? And Jesus said 
unto them, Verily I say unto you, That 
ye which have followed me, in the regener- 



144 HEA VENL Y REWARDS. 

ation when the Son of Man shall sit on 
the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit 
upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve 
tribes of Israel." Matt. 19 : 27, 28. 

Confidence in Christ's Complete 
Work. " Being confident of this very 
thing, that He which hath begun a good 
work in you, will perform it until the day 
of Jesus Christ." Phil. 1 : 6. 

To Abide in Christ. "And now, 
little children, abide in Him, that when He 
shall appear, we may have confidence, and 
not be ashamed before Him at His coming" 
1 John 2 : 28. 

For Blamelessness op Life. "I 
thank my God always on your behalf, for 
the grace of God, which is given you by 
Jesus Christ, that in everything ye are 
enriched by Him, in all utterance, and in 
all knowledge, even as the testimony of 
Christ was confirmed in you, so that ye 
come behind in no gifi^ waiting for the 



ITS PRACTICAL BENEFITS. 145 

coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, who 
shall also confirm you unto the end, that 
ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord 
Jesus Christ." 1 Cor. 1 : 4-8. And others 
which I have quoted before. 

The question is asked, Will not all 
Christians be taken up ? From the light 
which has come to me from the study of 
God's word, and from what arguments I 
have heard, the writer is constrained to 
answer, "Not all. Only those who are 
watching, who are waiting, who look for 
His appearing." This seems to be taught 
from the frequent command of our Saviour, 
" Watch, and what I say unto you, I say 
unto all, Watch ! " Also from the force of 
the parable of the ten virgins. Matt. 25. 
Though they were all virgins (representing 
Christians), yet only those who were ready 
went in to the marriage supper ; and again 
in Heb. 9 : 28 : " Unto them that look for 
Him, shall He appear a second time with- 

10 



146 HEAVENLY REWARDS. 

out sin unto salvation." Yet together 
with the inducements placed before you, 
they are not enough ; you still need a 
teacher, a guide, a helper, who shall be 
constantly with you, to give you wisdom, 
and grace, and strength, and zeal, to do 
the best work, and that you be fully pre- 
pared for grand success in the battle of 
life. 

This Helper, this Guide, is the Holy 
Ghost, 

whom the blessed Saviour before He went 
away promised to send — John 14:15- 
17 : "If ye love me, keep my command- 
ments, and I will pray the Father, and He 
shall give you another Comforter, that He 
may abide with you forever, even the Spirit 
of truth, whom the world cannot receive, 
because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth 
Him, but ye know Him, for He dwelleth 
with you, and shall be in you. I will not 



THE HOLY GHOST. 147 

leave you comfortless, I will come unto 
you." 

And again, in verses 25-27 : " These 
things have I spoken unto you, being yet 
present with you, but the Comforter, which 
is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will 
send in my name, He shall teach you all 
things, and bring all things to your re- 
membrance, whatsoever I have said unto 
you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I 
give unto you, not as the world giveth, 
give I unto you. Let not your heart be 
troubled neither let it be afraid." 

And again in John 16:6, 7: "But 
because I have said these things unto you, 
sorrow hath filled your heart. Neverthe- 
less I tell you the truth. It is expedient for 
you, that I go away ; for if I go not away, 
the Comforter will not come unto you, 
but if I depart, I will send Him unto you. 
Howbeit when He the Spirit of truth is 
come, He will guide you into all truth, for 



148 HE A VENL Y REWARDS, 

He shall not speak of Himself, but what- 
soever He shall hear, that shall He speak, 
and He shall shew you things to come. 
He shall glorify me, for He shall receive 
of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All 
things that the Father hath are mine, 
therefore said I, that He shall take of 
mine and shew it unto you." 

Note what Paul says in 1 Cor. 2 : 9-11: 
" As it is written, Eye hath not seen, ear 
hath not heard, neither have entered into 
the heart of man, the things which God 
hath prepared for them that love Him. 
But God hath revealed them to us by His 
Spirit, for the Spirit searcheth all things, 
yea, the deep things of God, for what man 
knoweth the things of a man, save the 
spirit of a man which is in him, even so 
the things of God knoweth no man, but 
the Spirit of God. Now have we received 
not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit 



A TIME APPOINTED, 149 

which is of God, that we might know the 
things that are freely given to us of God." 
And besides, see the promises connected 
with this gift of the Holy Spirit. See John 
14 : 11-14 : " Believe me that I am in the 
Father, and the Father in me, or else 
believe me for the very works' sake. 
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that 
believeth on me, the works that I do he 
shall do also, and greater works shall he do 
because I go unto the Father. And what- 
soever ye shall ask in my name, that will 
I do, that the Father may be glorified in 
the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my 
name I will do it." 

A Time Appointed, 

Jesus Christ appointed a time when He 
would give this power. After His resur- 
rection, He " commanded them that they 
should not depart from Jerusalem, but 
wait for the promise of the Father, which 



150 HE A VENL Y RE WARDS. 

ye have heard of me. For John truly 
baptized with water, but ye shall be bap- 
tized with the Holy Ghost, not many days 
hence/' Acts 1 : 4, 5. And 8th verse : " But 
ye shall receive power, after that the 
Holy Ghost is come upon you, and ye 
shall be witnesses unto me — unto the utter- 
most parts of the earth." Xote other 
benefits received from the Holy Spirit. 
2 Thess. 2:13: " We are bound to give 
thanks to God alwav for vou, brethren 
beloved of the Lord, because God hath 
from the beginning chosen you to salvation 
through sandification of the Spirit, and be- 
lief of the truth." See John 3:5: " Verily, 
verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be 
born of the water, and of the Spirit, he 
cannot enter into the kingdom of God." 
And again, Rom. 15 : 13 : " Now the God 
of hope, fill you with all joy and peace in 
believing, that ye may abound in hope, 
through the power of the Holy Ghost." 



A TIME APPOINTED. 151 

See also 1 Cor. 12 : 7-11 : "But the 
manifestation is given to every man to profit 
withal. For to one is given by the Spirit, 
the word of wisdom, to another the word of 
knowledge by the same Spirit. To another 
faith by the same Spirit, to another the 
gifts of healing by the same Spirit, to 
another the working of miracles, to another 
prophecy, to another the discerning of 
spirits, to another divers kinds of tongues, 
to another the interpretation of tongues. 
But all these worketh that one and the 
selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man 
severally as He will." 

" But the natural man receiveth not the 
things of the Spirit of God, for they are 
foolishness unto him, neither can he know 
them, because they are spiritually dis- 
cerned." 1 Cor. 2 : 14. " For the fruit of 
the Spirit, is in all goodness, and righteous- 
ness, and truth. Proving what is accept- 
able unto the Lord, and have no fellowship 



152 HE A VENL Y REWARDS. 

with the unfruitful works of darkness, but 
rather reprove them." Eph. 5 : 9-11. 
And in the benediction, 2 Cor. 13:14, the 
equality of the Holy Spirit with God is 
acknowledged, and there is at the same 
time a prayer that you may enjoy His 
communion and fellowship. " The grace 
of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of 
God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, 
be with you all. Amen." 

Therefore in consideration of the offices 
of the Holy Ghost, and of the promise of 
the Saviour that He would send Him, that 
He might be with His people, and that 
He will come in answer to your prayers, 
let me urge, nay intreal, that you would 
be earnest in your pleadings, that He 
would come, and make His dwelling in 
your breast, to lead you into the truth, to 
keep you from straying, and to bring you 
Home to eternal glory, that you may sing 
the praises of Redeeming love. 



CONSECRATION. 153 

My dear friend, if I could on this last 
page pour out the fulness of my heart in 
persuasive tears, to win you to decide to 
become one of those earnest workers, to 
whom the Lord shall say, "Well done. 
Thy pound hath gained ten pounds. Enter 
thou into the joy of thy Lord." If so, 
let this be your consecrating vow : 

"Take my life and let it be 
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee ; 
Take my feet and let them be 
Swift and beautiful for Thee ; 
Take my lips and let them be 
Filled with messages for Thee ; 
Take my silver and my gold, 
Not a mite would I withhold ; 
Take myself, and let me be 
Ever, only, all for Thee. 

Can you make this your consecrating 
vow of head, hands, feet, lips, and purse 
to be the Lord's? He will accept the 
gift, and use you in His service, just in 



154 HE A VENL Y EE WA EDS. 

proportion as this consecration is carried 
out in your daily life, and you will be 
happy, with that inherent happiness that is 
not marred by outward circumstances. 
You are working for a King of infinite 
resources, and who has complete control of 
all your surroundings ; and He has guar- 
anteed that * all things work together for 
good to them that love the Lord." Eom. 
8 : 28. Go forward then in the path He 
has marked out, be a worker for Him, and 
though He has not pledged success in every 
act, yet at the end the reward shall be (not 
according to the success of your efforts, 
but) according to the motives that have 
influenced those efforts. Not according to 
what you have accomjilished, but according 
to what you wanted to accomplish, and may 
the blessed Kino; o-ive vou success. 



" Stand up ; stand up for Jesus : 
The strife will not he long, 



CONSECRA TION. 155 

This day the noise of battle, 
The next the victor's song : 

To him that overcometh, 
A crown of life shall be ; 

He with the King of glory, 
Shall reign eternally." 

" Seal not the sayings of the prophecy 
of this book, for the time is at hand. And 
behold I come quickly, and my reward is 
with me, to give every man according as 
his work shall be. Blessed are they that 
do His commandments, that they may 
have right to the tree of life, and may 
enter in through the gates into the city. 
For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and 
whoremongers, and murderers, and idola- 
ters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a 
lie." Rev. 22:10-15. 

" The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ 
be with you all. Amen." 



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